Questions & Answers about
Amstrad Computers (only!)

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Introduction

If you'd like to ask a question about a sotellite receiver (deliberately mis-spelled to fool search engines!) this is NOT the right page.

If you'd like to ask a question about old Amstrad computer products so that everyone reading can see the answer then fill in the form below. Otherwise, if you're shy, click here to send me a private email.

I'll endeavour to read this page and add the answers as often as I can though pressures of work may preclude updates as often as I'd like.

 

Post a new Question (about Amstrad computers):


Name ........................

Email (optional)..........

STOP!
If you are about to ask about either a PRINTER DRIVER or a MONITOR DRIVER and you've got this far then you have NOT been reading this web site closely enough. Follow those links!

sotellite RECEIVERS: I can only assume that some of the people who have posted messages on this page recently are TOTALLY ILLITERATE (or do I mean ILLEGITIMATE??). Can't you dummies read? Where on this page does it say anything about answering sotellite receiver questions? Where on this page does it mention Narkia, Eurost*r or Hyoumax?

NOWHERE! because this page is for AMSTRAD COMPUTERS!! Don't you people get it? Amstrad ONLY, not Narkia, not Hyoumax, not Bleedin Uncle Tom Cobbley and all either, JUST AMSTRAD. And not sotellite receivers, not answerphones, not television sets, not steel span box girder bridges but JUST COMPUTERS So if the question you are about to post is about feckin sotellite receivers then if you are dumb enough to leave your email address (and most of you illiterate tossers are!) then I'm just going to post fake messages in every newsgroup I can think of to ensure that you are completely drowned in SPAM email.

Now I don't want this to sound racist but the 500K+ of total rubbish I just deleted from this page almost all seemed to have been posted by people from Asia (esp. Iran and Pakistan). Amstrad has never sold computers in those countries so if you are from Asia it is very unlikely that your question is relevant here - PLEASE THINK - it ain't hard - really!

People with valid Amstrad Computer questions need not be concerned. I like you people and I'm only sorry I can't usually get the time to post some useful answers here.
Question (without using the word "sotellite" - or else!)....................

(By the way, don't bother hitting [Enter] while writing your question to attempt to format it nicely - it just doesn't work.)

Location (where you live) ......

NOTE: after you press the button to create your entry you may not see any change - do not press the button again - you'll just submit two copies of the question! Instead press the "Refresh" button on your browser if you want to see your question has been added - thanks.

Valid Amstrad customer must read this

This page got bombarded with people asking totally unrelated questions about satellite receivers and they obviously didn't bother to read this explanatory text but just filled in a stupid question and hit the [SUBMIT] button regardless. To try and fool them I have moved the [SUBMIT] button for this page to the very end. So press Ctrl-End and then click the [SUBMIT] button you find there. The idiotic morons who can't understand the preceeding explanation presumably won't bother to read this paragraph either and I'd just love to be there when they spend half an hour scratching their heads tring to work out how to submit this form!! ;-) Just to add to the fun the following may LOOK like a real [SUBMIT] button but it's just an IMG with an A link.


Finally, the recent Questions and Answers...

willievann in alabama at 14:50:23 Sunday February 20 2005
how do i tell what kind of hard drive and grafic card and memory card in my computer


Jose Leo R.Uy in Inabanga Bohol Philippines at 06:50:04 Saturday February 19 2005
I NEED A YAMAHA YMF719E-S SOUND CARD DRIVER FOR WINDOWS98


Ratimir Rousal in Gjorgjiceva ul. 8. 10000Zagreb - Croatien at 12:30:46 Tuesday February 15 2005
I have got one old laptop PC 7640 (Schneider Target). I have not a startdiskrtte. I know thatis a hard disk Typ 2,615 Zil.4 heads but i casn not say it to bios. Is any possibility to come to bios or to download a start Dos/ setup disk.Please help if you know how. Thanks a lot Ratimir Zagreb Croatia


David Gutierrez in sandieago at 04:29:26 Tuesday February 8 2005
did marilyn manson really take out some ribs to suck his own peneus.


meril_med at 16:38:10 Monday February 7 2005


John Hartwick Jr. in Wauwatosa, WI. at 19:46:26 Sunday February 6 2005
I am looking for a parallel printer cable for a Radio Shack TRS-80 model 3 or 4.


williams bill in uk at 04:40:11 Thursday February 3 2005
dear saler, please i am intreseted in buying of this item (3J17FMPZB849 Compaq M700 PIII 850 192 19077 Y N N N New Screen A $420.00 3J1BJMXZX11G Compaq M700 PIII 1000 192 19077 DVD N N Y A $490.00)and i like to know the model of your payment send me the pictures of all items you sale as well get back to me as soon as posible.


Mike in wigan at 02:02:01 Thursday February 3 2005
Where can I get amstrad basic programs neatly written as books are hard to find?


Mark in Cornwall UK at 11:40:31 Wednesday February 2 2005
Hi Everyone. I have a Amstrad CPC464 with a CTM 644 colour monitor. I went to plug it in to use it and the 3 pin wall socket gave off a large blue flash and then nothing. So I did the obviouse changed the fuse with a brand new one and that made no difference. So could anyone offer any help on fixing this monitor or offer any repair guides or any parts I may need. I have spent a lot of time on bringing this computer from bad state to almost new condition. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks. Mark...


D.R. Anand in District-Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India at 06:09:40 Tuesday February 1 2005
I have an old PC which is gifted by my ex-boss. Name and version of PC is AMSTRAD PC 1640. Unfortunately, I have no any startup/system disk. I want to know that how can and where I got these disks. My daughter is very interested to start this PC. If can help anyhow, I will be very thankful to you. Thanking you, Yours D.R.Anand P.A. to Joint Director (Academic) Indian Veterinary Research Institute Izatnagar-243 122 (India)


Anon in toronto ontario canada eh? at 04:53:06 Tuesday February 1 2005
is there a ontario canada supplier of amstrad dmp3160 printer parts like Hamilton or Toronto?i need the drive belts with the cogs that turn/drive the paper forward thank you akabookbinder@yahoo.com


mohmad in jordan-alkarak at 21:40:59 Friday January 28 2005
i need to method of add code the (ab sat)to digital eurostar 9700 gold or the software eurostra9700 gold thank you.......


samy salah in cairo egypt at 20:37:44 Friday January 28 2005
how to download eurostar euro 9000 ci ? step by step please


Mr M. Tawfick in 55 Leverton Street, London NW5 2NX Tel No:02072673563 at 16:10:19 Friday January 28 2005
I purchased the e-m@iler Plus Amstrad it keep dialling Premium Numbers without my consent. Kindly explain how to stop your machine of dialling this update numbers as I am not happy with this extra expenses


robert in uk at 20:59:09 Friday January 21 2005
what happened to the old big brother house


rapheal in nigeria at 16:04:52 Wednesday January 19 2005
how do we bypass the password to the computer


bettina in warwickshire, near Stratford-upon-avon at 11:12:37 Tuesday January 18 2005
The disc drive on my amstrad PCW8256 appears to have died - will not read the start up Locoscript menu. Can it be mended? if not, can I print off the info. on the discs which is important to me, if no one else? Would greatly appreciate advice. I live in Warwickshire.


John in Australia at 06:29:23 Thursday January 13 2005
Can you direct me to a source of circuit diagram/schematic for an Amstrad Monochrome Monitor used with the PC1512? Many Thanks


where can i get a copy of Counterpoint - one of the floppies is corrupt and I cannot read some (very) old data? at 15:55:43 Saturday January 8 2005


sakil ratna tuladhar in nepal at 09:34:21 Friday January 7 2005
i have a amstrad laptop model 512d and want to know about its detailed specification.can you please let me know if it is still worth.


alfred parker at 03:49:38 Friday December 31 2004
what is the the name of the first prime minister


Lynn in India at 15:09:45 Friday December 24 2004
I started my computer and I got the following error:"Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter"I ordered Windows XP but it doesn't appear to be pre-loaded and there is no system disk.Please advise.


christopher plant in west midlands united kingdom at 20:47:38 Wednesday December 22 2004
i have recently been given an old amstard ALT-286 laptop computer but on bootup i am getting error mesaage hard drive failure, could someone please (if possible) give me the specs in the bios for the above laptop as i would like to try and get the computer running again.


Martin Mesch in Netherlands at 15:47:14 Wednesday December 22 2004
Where can I find the software to upload an iX 1000 Amstrad Index Phone? The software is called "Index Link" acoording to the User Manual Martin Mesch


simon in SOUTH WEST UK at 10:34:34 Monday December 20 2004
Amstrad ALT 286 FOR SALE IN EXCELLENT WORKING ORDER...OFFERS


irene dailly in dundee scotland at 16:53:37 Friday December 17 2004
i have an amstrad e-mailer and keep getting calls on my phone bill listed as multi-media i am advised by my telecoms supplier this is through the e-mailer please can you advise me how to stop this


andy in darlington at 23:34:22 Wednesday December 15 2004
i have a vintage amstrad PPC512 portable computer. and was wondering if you can play games on it.if you can where could i get some from many thanks andy


sherry in india at 04:55:30 Tuesday December 14 2004
i want to know how i send an email frm my hotmail account to a amstrad emailer.


Anon at 17:11:03 Friday December 10 2004


pash in manchester at 02:25:07 Wednesday December 8 2004
how can i unlock my sky viewing card


mostafa.gomaa in egypt at 22:56:03 Sunday December 5 2004


unigamer in Scotland at 21:43:30 Sunday December 5 2004
I have just bought an AMSTRAD PDA 600. It was working fine until tonight when I was using the notepad and the screen started blinking. Whenever I turn it on now it blinks. I have tried removing the lithium battery and putting new AA batteries but it still doesn't work.


AMIR MALIK at 19:22:03 Saturday December 4 2004
I NEED THE SOFTWEAR OF RECIVER


Mark Sturt in Ascot at 13:52:00 Saturday December 4 2004
my amstrad uf40 has locked and i haven't got the remote how do i unlock it?


James Penketh in Horwich at 12:54:35 Tuesday November 23 2004
where could I find a modem for a 464 plus? Please don't suggest E-bay...


james in county durham at 10:32:34 Sunday November 21 2004
i have a pc5286hd but it did not come with an instruction book so i do not know how to install anything


bharni in INDIA at 07:30:18 Friday November 19 2004
I HAVE WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL SYSTEM WHICH I AM UNABLE TO CONNECT IN THE NETWORK WHICH HAS A WINDOWS 98 OPERATING SYSTEM. WHAT IS THE PROCEEDURE TO CONNECT THE SYSTEM IN THE NETWOEK


bharni in INDIA at 07:28:38 Friday November 19 2004
I HAVE WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL SYSTEM WHICH I AM UNABLE TO CONNECT IN THE NETWORK WHICH HAS A WINDOWS 98 OPERATING SYSTEM. WHAT IS THE PROCEEDURE TO CONNECT THE SYSTEM IN THE NETWOEK


bharni in INDIA at 07:26:49 Friday November 19 2004
I HAVE WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL SYSTEM WHICH I AM UNABLE TO CONNECT IN THE NETWORK WHICH HAS A WINDOWS 98 OPERATING SYSTEM. WHAT IS THE PROCEEDURE TO CONNECT THE SYSTEM IN THE NETWOEK


Reza in IRAN at 16:02:57 Monday November 15 2004
Hello, I have one request, Please Send me File of Eurostar 9700 F for watching scrambled channels , thanks you , bye


Anon at 18:16:03 Saturday November 13 2004
what is a battery


vahid in tehran at 13:11:26 Saturday November 13 2004
for upgrade eurostar 9700f how softwar


James Hanning at 09:43:58 Tuesday November 9 2004
My mother has an amstrad 9512 and needs to transfer all her files onto a laptop. Can you please tell me how to do this? Is it difficult for someone not very familiar with computers. If so, can you recommend anywhere that could do it? Thank you


Faisal R.Khurram in Pakistan at 16:42:25 Sunday November 7 2004
I power on my Dell optilex gx pro computer message blinking (in blue screen) Termination/Processor card not installed ! System Hualted!


R W Wiseman in Norwich at 13:54:44 Tuesday November 2 2004
I have a problem with my old PC (an Amstrad PC3386SX). When I connect it up, it tells me to install the setup program. I am trying to find the setup programme, but it appears my disc is missing. Can anyone help me please?


what are the examples of polymorphic computer virus at 08:27:12 Wednesday October 27 2004


jumpers compaq presario 5423 at 18:47:06 Monday October 18 2004


Anon in la puente ca at 04:23:22 Monday October 18 2004


kaveh at 06:37:09 Saturday October 16 2004


Paul in Bedford at 22:22:58 Monday October 11 2004
I have an old Amstrad 1640DD (the one with no hard drive) bought as a collectors item. I'm wondering if old 80's games on 5.25 disks are obtainable for this PC. Any suggs on where I could get hold of any? Cheers, Paul.


milad in iran at 06:04:20 Sunday October 10 2004
hello.i am milad.i live in iran.i have a question aboaut satelite resiver eurostar 9000 for patch it.please help me. i need to eurostar9000 patch. thank you very math.


Anon at 11:48:24 Thursday October 7 2004
meaning of business


richard in london at 15:31:03 Thursday September 30 2004
how do i read my email from a lap top


Ian Neville in Wales at 14:06:28 Wednesday September 29 2004
I have just come into contact with a Amstrad ALT-386sx. Big! Is there a source of new batteries? Is there a DL manual for it available anywhere? Thanks


how does a processer work? in wigmore at 16:47:38 Monday September 20 2004
how does a processer work?


how does a processer work? at 16:47:10 Monday September 20 2004


how does a processer work? at 16:47:03 Monday September 20 2004


sylvain Bignoux in mauritius at 12:49:39 Sunday September 19 2004
i got a satelite dish and i would like to have a softwear to receive satelite channel on my tv card.


ron coleman in london at 13:23:37 Monday September 13 2004
hi there could you tell me were i can down load a manual for a emailer phone set uo for mdl em2001-uk please can you email me thamk you ron


yýlmaz in turkey at 19:37:09 Saturday September 4 2004
schneider green797 notebook PIII 800 120 mb ram Ý don't find sound driver. what is sound driver name ? and where is driver find.PLEASE ps: I little speak ing. sorry.


Anon at 13:56:39 Thursday September 2 2004
What are the computer viruses?


faridh in iran at 00:38:06 Thursday September 2 2004
pleas help me to make a cable for conecting my pc to receivr eurostar 9000 ci


mohammad at 16:19:56 Wednesday September 1 2004
i need software resiver eurostar 9700 with scart tuner silicon .please


farid in Esfahan - Iran at 11:53:02 Monday August 30 2004
hi I am from Iran Esfahan ,please help me to program and upgrade eurostar 9000ci . thank you very much


Andrew in Malta at 19:27:39 Tuesday August 24 2004
Hi, I brought over to Malta an Amstrad e-mailer. in it are some very important numbers(life dependent). It now says that all features are disabled, I am in serious need of these numbers. What can I do?


laura hope-o'connell at 18:01:06 Saturday August 21 2004


Hani Hossni in Dubai, UAE at 19:33:22 Thursday August 19 2004
I have got Euro 9700 plus and I have for get the pin code to change the sitting, can you help me??


MudMan in Reading at 16:52:59 Saturday August 14 2004
I have a amstrad pc1512dd, and thats it, i was ten last time i was anywhere near it so any info on how im supposed to use it. i remember having to put in those big floppys just to get it started but i dont have thosee any more, reckon i could still get them?


sean in London(England) at 11:27:57 Thursday August 12 2004
How do I convert PCW 8512 files to PC format and what cable and software should I use , free stuff would be nice !


mehrdad at 03:37:47 Monday August 9 2004


amuruche prince eze in nageria. lagos. ikorodu. sabo. af 49 federal low cost at 14:35:24 Saturday August 7 2004
does your product have internet because i need it badly thanks


kassim basit in ghana at 22:19:47 Sunday July 25 2004
where can i get a website containing details of eurostar sattelitte receiver (eurobox 9000-9007) )


sam at 12:04:33 Tuesday July 20 2004
I see there are a few q's about e-mailers on here so in the faint hopes anyone will be able to help with this, is anyone using their emailer plus to access ebay? I know it is not one of their full access sites but I've always got on more or less ok, now I can't sign in all of a sudden and no obvious reason. I've never found amserve support any help yet... so hope another user might have some ideas????


Walter in Tasmania, Australia at 11:07:36 Monday July 19 2004
Where is the CMOS battery on the Amstrad 486/33 motherboard (WB486SOCVIO-A)and can I replace it???


ali at 20:37:56 Sunday July 18 2004


Sarah in Va at 02:31:27 Thursday July 15 2004
I forgot my password to my RCA/DVD player tv..I dont know what to do


yaserv osama in egypt at 22:11:02 Friday July 9 2004
i want to know information about connection to the net without phone line or adsl but across a device that connect me to the net with the satalite?


ali in iran at 08:34:36 Thursday July 8 2004
how can i program my digital satellite receiver by free?


mm in iran at 23:27:17 Friday July 2 2004


n at 04:08:51 Thursday July 1 2004


Anon at 15:29:43 Tuesday June 29 2004


hassan in Iran at 10:55:54 Tuesday June 29 2004
How I can programe my reciever "eurostar 9700 f" to recieve some encrypted channels


Shashi in Bangalore at 10:19:45 Wednesday June 23 2004
I'm using a Dot matrix printer (Epson LQ 1070+) i need to change dip swith settings to Graphics, it is giving line by line gap in in vertical lines of the tables.


Hossein nejad in Iran at 14:41:18 Tuesday June 22 2004
dear sir/madam thanks for your good site. I have a question about eurostar 9700 F satellite receiver.I forgot pin code in my set please guide me.


masoud in iran-khorasan-birjand at 21:19:44 Saturday June 12 2004
hi, i have digital receiver with model eurostar 9700f with scart.for upfrading the software of this model i need this file euftv263.bin would you please send or give me some information.


hernan Luis cejas in Santa fe - Argentina at 16:54:15 Wednesday June 2 2004


Anon in Australia at 08:09:45 Tuesday June 1 2004
Hello I was hoping I can get some help on my amstrad PPC640. When I start it up I get a loud squealing coming from the unit, I suspect it is the powersupply. Any one got any ideas?


Gaston Maudet in Argentina at 00:59:38 Tuesday June 1 2004
I need FX7000 manual, please...the one I have is in German language.


mojteba at 10:36:04 Sunday May 30 2004
hi mr. can you help me for instruction and help upgrade resiver Eurostar 9700F. tanks BayBay...


John in Ireland at 14:33:28 Friday May 28 2004
Anyone know where to get schematics for the Amstrad 464 Plus? It's not working, and I want to make it work! cheers.


oliver in estonia at 14:29:07 Thursday May 27 2004
hello, how can i print out something, with what cammand


senthil raj in INDIA at 08:02:00 Monday May 24 2004
for connecting two system using Nowell Netware for client server program by using TURBO C


ARASH in IRAN at 10:45:28 Sunday May 23 2004
HGOW CAN I UPGRADE SKYWORLD SATELLITE RECIVERS


navid in tehran at 10:39:38 Sunday May 23 2004
where i can find software upgrade and patch code for eurostar 9000 2ci euro-box and download it? And how i can do it ?


eslam at 08:21:39 Thursday May 20 2004


mehdi at 20:38:46 Wednesday May 19 2004
I need software for reciver eurostar9900. thanks for help.


j.kerr at 14:10:41 Tuesday May 18 2004


Amir kamran in IRAN at 19:27:55 Friday May 14 2004
Please help me to upgrade my Eurostar receiver software, the model is : 9000CI


Anon in paturâge (belgique) at 19:24:46 Friday May 14 2004
pourriez-vous me faire parvenir le mode d'emploi du telephone fax Amstrad fx 6000 at de préférence en français merci


verset in paturâge at 18:14:37 Friday May 14 2004
comment obtenir le mode d'emploi pour telephone fax Amstrad fx6000


mustafa faroog in khartoum - sudan at 14:03:25 Wednesday May 12 2004
how can i recover a pin code in eurostar 9700 and other semulate digitals


kevin in wellingborough at 13:27:12 Tuesday May 11 2004
i have a compaq tower and i cant figure out how to change the boot seqence in the c mos settings could you tell me how please


Derek Lyon in Harwich, Essex at 00:41:19 Tuesday May 11 2004
Where can I buy a printer which will work with my e-mailer?


Jim in London at 15:41:03 Monday May 10 2004
Hi! Does anyone know the sectors/cylinders/heads configuration used for the 'type 17' hard disc in a PC5286HD? Thanks in advance!


Saeed Parnia in Iran at 18:41:21 Sunday May 9 2004
I need a file for upgrading my resiver:eurostar 9000 ci. please send me address or url of website for this work. thank you. saeed parnia


Mike in Bournemouth at 20:16:09 Monday May 3 2004
I have an Amstrad 7486 (33 Mhz) whose CMOS battery state is low according to a screen message, and I'm invited to run the SETUP Utility by pressing F1. My question is, if I replace the battery, is that the end of my problem, or is it likely I will need to install the BIOS settings as the standard CMOS Setup tells me my Hard Disk C is "Not Installed". To add to my woes I don't have a boot disk.


Joshua in windsor at 18:49:34 Sunday May 2 2004
My dishnet just flashes won't turn on or off can't get it running if you know how to fix i would much appreciate it thank you


Asal in tehran at 18:08:44 Friday April 30 2004
harki baram rahe baz kardane kanalhaye kartie starsat SR-X200CI MK II ro baram beghe ghol midam barash yek booseye labsoze labdooz befrestam


masoud at 16:42:07 Thursday April 29 2004
i want a free software for eurostar 9700 plus for open the channel pls guide me for this software & site for download


Farshid in Iran at 05:06:22 Wednesday April 28 2004
Hi Where can i find an upgrade program for eurobox 9700 satellite receiver


majid in eurostar9000 at 20:05:27 Tuesday April 27 2004


Anon at 19:48:49 Tuesday April 27 2004


bahman in iran at 12:47:00 Sunday April 25 2004
hi i need help for upgrade receiver euro-box 9700f


Nathaniel Woods in North Carolina at 21:22:36 Saturday April 3 2004
My CD-RW and DVD-ROM is not reading Disc. When I checked the Device Manager it states: "Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)" I own a Compaq Presario (5423) 5000 series. Please let me know what I'm suppose to do to get it to work. Thank you for your time and assistance.


john cunningham in eindhoven(at the moment) at 04:11:24 Tuesday March 30 2004
ok bud i need a manual for an amstrad studio 100 4 track because theres too many switches and stuff, hope u can help j


elipson in Turkey at 16:40:24 Saturday March 27 2004
hi! ý have got a taplin 6600dcý digital receiver. how can i watch the erotic channels to free.pls. help me.


hamid in mashhad,iran at 06:48:06 Saturday March 27 2004
hi, i have digital receiver with model eurostar 9700f with scart.for upfrading the software of this model i need this file euftv263.bin would you please send or give me some information.


basel at 21:26:44 Wednesday March 24 2004


mohammad at 19:51:03 Wednesday March 24 2004
saftware resiver eurostar 9900 v+2ci on theyears 2004.pleas


C DAVIS in CALIFORNIA at 16:15:37 Wednesday March 24 2004
HOW DO I CREATE A "BIOS" DISKETTE FOR A TOSHIBA 2065CDS?


Baha in tehran at 06:54:41 Tuesday March 23 2004
HI i want patch for eurobox 9700 f salam man ehtiaj be patch baraye reciever eurobox(eurostar) 9700 f daram age kasi dare baram send koneh plz


Sandra Beedle in Leeds, West Yorkshire at 16:11:44 Monday March 22 2004
Is there a version of the Amstrad emailer plus which is suitable for use in Australia?


Mike Archambault in canada at 20:02:49 Saturday March 20 2004
disable cmos password toshiba satelite 6100


Mike Archambault in canada at 11:11:22 Saturday March 20 2004
how to disable power-on password for toshiba satelite pro 6100


Eufemio Quispe in Lima- Perú at 15:19:10 Friday March 19 2004
Where i find technical informaion (pin, capacity, etc)about M5299B and 5298A?


omid in iran at 02:23:38 Friday March 19 2004
i need saftware for upgared eurostar6600


ganesha at 17:33:18 Monday March 15 2004
eurostar digital reciever moter board


mehran in teh at 16:53:05 Sunday March 14 2004
where I can find a website contains a upgrade software for eurostar satellite receiver eurobox(9000CI


pareshpaleja in mumbai india at 15:45:41 Friday March 12 2004
... i need a sound card drvier NAME "YMF719E-S" If you can help me about this driver and send it to my email address i am ... email add: devendrapaleja@hotmail.com web


cos in England at 15:13:16 Friday March 12 2004
Dear Sir I am looking for BETACOM PPF700 fax machine manual Kind regards Cos


bolaji in Nigeria at 12:43:21 Thursday March 11 2004
i have a compaq pressario laptop which was not charging at all before, although what i did was re-adjust the connector of the battery now it charges well but it does not backup at all, and when i put on the laptop using ac power as usual it shows that the battery is charging then charged. The charging level does drop the next day but just one percent yet it does not backup, pls what do i do.


bolaji in Nigeria at 12:38:20 Thursday March 11 2004
i have a compaq pressario laptop which was not charging at all before, although what i did was re-adjust the connector of the battery now it charges well but it does not backup at all, and when i put on the laptop using ac power as usual it shows that the battery is charging then charged. The charging level does drop the next day but just one percent yet it does not backup. Now what do i do.


reza in iran at 23:38:15 Sunday March 7 2004
how i can get new software for eurobox satellite receiver eurostar 8110ad


Lawrence in South West at 10:39:59 Sunday March 7 2004
Do you know of a way to export the Address Book from the Amstrad e-mailer phone to a PC ??? I have exceeded the 700 records limitation and wish to move it over to a PC as a backup.


Wilfredo Contrears in Dominican republic at 00:54:12 Tuesday March 2 2004
i need one motherboard pc tochiba satelite 2065CDS


cos in uk at 08:39:59 Monday March 1 2004
I look for the manual for a fax maine BETACOM PPF 700 Someone can help pleas?


shoja in I.R at 22:04:55 Thursday February 26 2004
salam lotfan mano rahnemaei konid chetory mitonam receiver STARSAT model: SR-X120D ro upgreed konam ? mamnooneh mohabbathatoonam.


mohsen in iran at 15:42:37 Wednesday February 25 2004
hi how can i receive decode channel on strong 4610?


rasa in tehran at 11:33:10 Monday February 23 2004
salam code 8282 ra tipekon code shenasai007c00- 0a 62 34 ab 85 4c 54 93 aa srg code shenasai 009400 - 0b 87 1a 74 8c 2e 1c 84 7f for strong


sina in tehran at 18:22:46 Wednesday February 18 2004
hello please send for me patch for eurostar 9700 mersi by


rasa at 09:23:38 Monday February 16 2004
ma tamame patch haye 4610 4620 4800 fox 2.54 2.80 metabox starsat 5400 karam


hamed in iran at 13:41:30 Monday February 9 2004
I need software eurostar9700plus for open scramble channel . thanks.


CRACK in USA at 04:00:23 Sunday February 8 2004
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Anon at 20:51:04 Friday February 6 2004


chris undisclosed at 14:48:38 Thursday February 5 2004


masoud in IRAN at 08:31:36 Thursday February 5 2004
SALAM MAN DAR MOREDE UPGRADE KARDANE SAMSUNG SVACI-202 ETELAAAT MIKHAM...LOTFAN AGAR MITAVANID MAN RA RAHNAMAEE KONID. I NEED SOME INFORMATION ABOUT UPGRADING THE SVACI-202 SAMSUNG...PLEASE HELP ME. THANKS


Steve in Wolves, England at 14:14:12 Wednesday February 4 2004
I have an old Amstrad CPC 464 with modulator, manual, 2 years of old Amstrad Mags and around 200 games, (ohhh, the hours of pleasure I had on Fruit Machine Simulator), I was just wandering what this would be worth in the retro market. CHEERS!!


Anon in neosat sx-2001 at 22:08:29 Monday February 2 2004


Faruk Deri in Germany at 18:43:30 Sunday February 1 2004
Can anybody help me for ALT386SX Notebook Floppy disk internal. It`s defect or wrong i`ll change who can find new one? or new Floppy controller and PC compatibel Floppy? can I disable internal Floppy controller? thanks


sly in italy at 20:22:57 Saturday January 31 2004
I have a printer DMP 4000 and Windows 98. I have download the driver of fx 100 but the printer is out of order. She print incomprehensible signs. there are other prints drivers compatible? Thanks


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fille SRT4620Patch_20031127


soheil in iran shiraz at 21:57:44 Tuesday January 27 2004
map of rs232 cable fotr fortecstar recivers


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anthony fitzpatrick at 15:57:26 Monday January 26 2004
how or why cant i retrieve my yahoo emails via amserve on the emailer plus phone???.please help..


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NGOZI BLESSING UGWU in NIGERIA at 19:40:58 Sunday January 25 2004


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m2 in x at 07:44:58 Saturday January 24 2004
patch file srt 4610(1)ro mikham lotfan help me


ALI in IRAN at 03:46:34 Saturday January 24 2004
i forgotten my pin code for(HUMAX-F1)


Ralph Allison in United Kingdom at 23:20:36 Friday January 23 2004
I am running my Amstrad Emailer phone on an exchange. To access an outside line, one must press the telephone's RECALL button. How can I set the auto-prefix on the phone so that it will access the outside line via the RECALL button?


homauoon at 15:57:27 Friday January 23 2004


z-n in iran- kordestan at 12:57:04 Friday January 23 2004
hi ! "I need free SoftWare Patch for LAZER 2003 CI and CAN YOU INSET A SITE FOR THIS.. I NEED UPDATE IT SOFTWARE .thanks


william in wiltshire at 15:30:27 Sunday January 18 2004
Do you have the pin out diagrams ALT-386 floppy drives


Jon Cohen in Leeds UK at 13:07:26 Saturday January 17 2004
I have a working ALT -386 SX Laptop which I have no use for but would be happy to donate it to any worthwhile cause that may have need or for a museum. If this is likely to be of interest I am happy to receive correspondence


Chris in Weymouth! at 11:26:06 Monday January 5 2004
I have an amstrad emailer that has been registerd about a month ago and WAS working perfectly but suddenly stopped working and the message reads features disabled use email. I have tried reregistering it but it doesn't want to know. Amstrad have not replied to my cry for help. Can you help please??? Ta!


Thomas Tudor in 9 Greenfield Close, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. at 13:39:36 Saturday January 3 2004
I have a Amstrad Personal Computer Word Processor PCW8256/8512 with printer, is it worth any thing, do people collect these things or should I just take it to the nearest dump. Does anyone want to buy it from me? Thomas Tudor


alan in heathrow england at 23:14:40 Friday December 26 2003
would like to know how to get reconnected to the amstrad emailer as been of for over 1 year and cannot get it started up again must have new number for connection. please help..
Faheem Karim in London at 00:05:54 Tuesday December 23 2003
I have an Amstrad PC2386/65 with I have upgraded from the original 4MB of RAM to 16MB. Recently, I started getting this error message on boot up, "Error: Faulty Memory (Parity Error)". So thinking that the parity chip on one of the SIMMS is faulty, I downgraded the machine back to the original 4MB. But upon boot up, I still get the same error message. Do you know why I'm getting this error message. Thanks.
John in Sussex at 21:43:45 Monday December 22 2003
Eoghan: The PcW10 is not a PC and won't boot from MSDOS discs. You need either a LocoScript or CP/M disc specifically for the PcW10.


Santrebo in Satelite Dish Free Zone at 23:16:33 Wednesday December 10 2003
I am totally sick of all these fucking questions about satelite dishes etc, etc? Can someone explain why most of the questions in here are about fucking satelite dishes? Also why are most of these questions originating in Asia and Third World countries? Is there some satelite dish mass hysteria thing happening out there? I have heard nothing about this on Sky News or CNN.

I know what you mean - I've left in a few below so everyone knows what you are talking about but I just deleted about another 1,000 like these!! (Cliff)


Shahram in IRAN (of course!) at 22:22:03 Wednesday December 10 2003
hi,I need patch file for strong 4610, 4610 II, or star sat 150,that opens scrambled channels . Thanks Star sat 3200 CU (firmware) I also collect an archive full of firmwares!!! call me. best regards.


orbit in iran at 21:23:46 Wednesday December 10 2003
i need master code for all star sat.


luckstrike at 20:36:37 Wednesday December 10 2003
hi , help me , please send last software of MetaBoxII Receiver for opening the scrambeled channel or address it for me , or send address web site too , thanks


saeid soleimany in iran at 19:19:29 Wednesday December 10 2003
I want any information about logix satellite reciver 6000


Eoghan in Ireland at 18:41:53 Wednesday December 10 2003
I have just bought an old PCW10 which looks to be in good shape as far as appearance goes. Unfortunately when I switch it on all I see is a blank grey screen. I do not have the original boot disks but have used MS DOS 5.00 on both a 720kb and 1.44mb floppy. Neither seems to work. When I insert the 720kb floppy the machine gives 3 or 4 quick high pitched beeps and that's it. Nothing. The screen remains grey blank With the 1.44mb floppy it reacts slightly differently: It gives a few maybe 4 or 5 longish churning noises as if it is trying to read the disk but then it gives a single beep and finishes. The screen blinks about 5 times during the churning process but at end still remains grey blank.There is nothing on the screen. Can you advise me on what may be wrong? I have opened the PCW10 and taken out the Floppy Drive. On inspection it seems ok - as far as I can see the drive belt in the floppy is sound and indeed the floppy looks as if it may never have been overused. I am not sure what type of floppy I should be using but have tried both 720kb and 1.44mb and neither works. What else could be stopping the PCW10 from working? One final point: How many pins should the keyboard connector have? Is it four or five? Mine has four but there seems to be room for a fifth which is missing (?). However when I press space the computer attempts to read the inserted disk. I would appreciate any help or advice you could give me on this. I do not want to open the computer again as I fear doing some damage. Thank you for any help you can give. Regards, Eoghan


Alex in Iran at 09:00:02 Tuesday December 9 2003
BE ATTENTION ALL !!!!! This website just Answers Questions about Amstard Computers. Dont Ask any Question about Satellite Receivers ,You never get any answer in Persian : in site faghat eb soalate dar morde amstard computers javab mide , dast az sare in bichare bardarid ;) javabi nemigirid bikhiyal shid


Mike Fox in New Zealand at 20:03:28 Saturday December 6 2003
Does anyone have a schematic for the Amstrad PC1512 Monitor ?
chris in england at 19:24:39 Wednesday December 3 2003
ive just been given a anb-386sx20 with nothing installed on it great? but i can not find sytem disk for it any wear,there are some old links that no longer work and im getting fed up, so can you tell me wear to get them from also how would it cope with linex and one final thing before i get my scewdriver out could u tell me what ram it takes and if there much room for expansion. thanks


Harold C. Grist in Perth Western Australia at 10:24:04 Tuesday December 2 2003
I have Amstrad Pc3286, a base menu system by Brownbag but not able to locate a program fil e for same any help


Mike Fox in Auckland, New Zealand at 19:31:00 Sunday November 30 2003
I have just turned on my PC1512 after many years and found the display is not working properly. I think the computer is working but the display data is all compressed into one thin line in the middle left of the screen. Does anyone have any suggestions how to fix this ? Many thanks Mike


Robert in Leicestershire at 12:19:51 Sunday November 30 2003
I do not use the facilities on the e-mailer apart from the address book and quick dial. but get a monthly bill of around £16.00 ( I have two ) I have now unplugged the machines and really they are no use as a normal phone as there is no redial or quick dial etc. is there any way I can use the system without getting the updates and usual spam and adverts or is the system just no good whatsoever Help would be really appriciated Thanks Rob


KB in Montpellier, FRANCE at 15:10:15 Tuesday November 25 2003
Hello, I would like to know the pinout to modify a ALT/286 floppy drive ribbon to replace the original and dead FD by a new one with separated data and power cables... I know you previously answered to contact some shop but I'm pretty sure I've seen the description some times ago around this site. Thank you very much for your answer !


Orac in escapable at 09:01:02 Friday November 21 2003
Hello PaulF !! Yes you certainly can fit a 720k drive, you'll just need a drive bay adaptor but these are easy to find. As for suppliers in London try Bemish - they are Amstrad spares stockists. Failing that they come up on ebay often enough.


Paul F in London, UK at 09:21:05 Thursday November 20 2003
My pal's Amstrad 1640's disk drive conked out last night, it won't read any floppy disks. It was the 'a' drive on a single disk drive machine which only read 360kb 5.25" floppies. Does anyone know where in London, UK it could be repaired, and roughly how much it might cost? Could a replacement drive be installed that read 720kb 3.5" floppies?


The Oracle in No where near Delphi at 09:01:05 Thursday November 20 2003
Hello Ed Clapp! well it depends on which model of 286 you have. If it's a 3286 then the battery is part of the Dallas timer chip (see my info on an earlier message - hard to spot I know among the other stuff!)If it is then it's the small black box adjacent to the keyboard socket on the motherboard. If you have an earlier model - a 2386 with the sloping plastic case - I'll check with the manual and let you know. Confirm which model.


Ed Clapp in Picton. Ont. Canada at 09:08:25 Wednesday November 19 2003
I have an old 286 Amstrad that I bought at the brick store. The problem is nobody can find the battery for the brain in this beauty it seems to be a mystery and the people I gave it to have lost the manual.In your infinite computer wisdom where in the world is it.Thanx.Bought back in the mid to late 80s.


A force for the good in Shropshire too at 09:15:22 Friday November 14 2003
Julian98 Hello! Hmmm... Tricky. Initial reaction is that the other keyboard you tried was faulty too - but that may be pushing it. Certainly sounds like it though. However, check the other keyboard is NOT a newer Amstrad version as they changed the electronics to match conventional keyboard DIN connections after the 3000 series. Also check for dust or muck in the motherboard DIN socket. If the clock is keeping time ok the BIOS battery would seem to be fine, but if it is not a new clock unit maybe needed (see comments below). More info would be appreciated.


Julian98 in Shropshire UK at 20:21:09 Wednesday November 12 2003
I am trying to get a friends Amstrad PC3086 to run after some years in storage. It gets as far as a message saying "please check keyboard or mouse(if fitted)" accompanied by an almost continuous beep. I have checked the keyboard for connections, stuck keys etc - I have tried another Amstrad XT keyboard - but still the same message and bleep. Switching on without a keyboard connected brings up the same message but no bleep. Any ideas guys ???


Oh, you know, the helper in Round and about at 12:42:06 Wednesday November 12 2003
Ctoneham - hello! Well Datasoft who wrote this software are still in existence - www.datasoft.co.uk - but you might find an old copy on ebay. Also try Bemish and Harrison Electronics - both UK companies on the web. Failing that use a different piece of software like "Mirror" available on this site in the file "Ppcdisks.zip". You should be able to configure MS-DOS using the MODE command - it depends whether you've got the ~Internal or External version of the modem. Hope that helps!


Ctoneman in Derbyshire at 12:50:57 Tuesday November 11 2003
I have the "Amstrad PC modem by Pace" and have lost the Datatalk software that came with it. I guess someone threw away the 5 1/4" floppy !! Can anyone help with a copy of the s/w ? Chris


Jim Stokes in New Zealand at 00:44:30 Thursday November 6 2003
How do I delete the files off my Discs, as I have finally sold my 6128


craig deakin in newhaven at 12:55:18 Tuesday November 4 2003
can i play amstard games on the internet


NC200 Fan in Lincoln at 14:46:21 Friday October 31 2003
Does anyone know where to get hold of the full tech. specs of the NC200? What I'm after is circuit / PCB details, floppy controller details etc to enable a repair. Many thanks.
Cindy in France at 03:25:19 Wednesday October 15 2003
Thanks A helper in Hmmm! because I was having a very similar problem. Cheers. You seem like that other nice fellow in wroxyham I think. Cindy :)


DaveM in Aberdare South Wales at 23:04:24 Tuesday October 14 2003
Helper in Hmmm! Many thanks for assistance. Formatting went OK. Still a few hitches but it may be the floppy drive on the PPC. I will like as not be back for more assistance!!


A helper in Hmmm! at 10:46:25 Tuesday October 14 2003
Hello DaveM! Well for a start the disk images you want are here on Cliff's site, in the downloads section. There are many ways to create the floppy disk format you need, depending on the operating system you are using. Perhaps the easiest is just to cover the second hole on the floppy disk (not the write protect hole, the other one). It should then be recognised as a 720k item. If you are using an older, standard disk drive this should work. If you have a more recent item you can try the following DOS command lines: "format A: /F:720" if that gives an error try "format A: /N:9 /T:80". If all fails download a floppy disk formatting programme from a shareware archive. Some BIOS's allow the reading of low capacity disks but not the creation. A programme like WinImage may also be flexible enough to allow creation of the boot disk. Hope that helps!


DaveM in Aberdare. South Wales at 21:56:03 Monday October 13 2003
Please can anyone help . I need a System disc for Amstrad 640D PPC. Any ideas where I can get an original or where I can down load one from? Downloading will also be a problem I've been told as the floppy has to be formatted to 720kb not 1.44mb. Is this correct? I apologise for my lack of knowlege but Im a very late starter to the computer game. Any assistance from a non idiot is very welcome


Tyrone in North Wales at 20:11:41 Friday October 10 2003
I forgot to mention that I live about two miles south of Wrexham in a big house by Erddig. To the silly posters: please stop cluttering the place up and grow up! I am trying to help genuine people on this site in loving memory to Cliff. Thank you.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 09:01:47 Friday October 10 2003
Glynn - hello and welcome! Despite the previous correspondent's purile insults, ebay *is* probably the best place for a CPC bargain. However also consider an emulator for your PC - generally they're free and mean no second computer sitting around cluttering the place up! ----- (By the way, the last message claiming to be from me was not - it was an imposter, shock-horror! Who'd have guessed it here? I work in Wrexham but don't live here. I come to this site only to help fellow Amstrad users, not waste bandwidth proving I'm some lonely fool who gets kicks out of anonymously insulting someone and then running away. This is getting beyond a joke now. Especially the insults aimed at Cliff. From now on I will use different names if I chose to try and help someone.)


Tyrone in Jupiter at 01:28:24 Friday October 10 2003
Muahhhhhaaaa! Glynn Goddard you are some sad toss-boat. "she who must be obeyed...", oh boy, you have serious problems. You must be a doormat. CPC 464??? You must be very poor or dumb. Errr... seeing the tesco in your e-mail address answers all questions. Muahhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! PS: You can get the joystick from places like eBay or CPC Components catalogue.


glynn goddard in Trafford, not flaming Manchester at 23:12:29 Thursday October 9 2003
I'm being nagged to get the CPC 464 out of the loft to play games over Christmas but, she who must be obeyed wants a joystick. Can you or anyone point me in the direction of anyone who has and supplies the old analogue joysticks? She wants to kill some Mummies, I get a yen to see if I can complete Boulderdash after many years of not playing it.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 02:05:51 Thursday October 9 2003
Alright. I admit Wrexham is lousy but I was born here. I can't help but love my roots. I care about my town and home.


John Hartia in St. Ives at 00:29:50 Thursday October 9 2003
You MORONS should read properly before you insult Cliff!! As most of you know Cliff died in December 2002 from health complications. Leave him be. For all of us that knew Cliff, GOOD ON YA BUDDY, LOVE YA AND TAKE CARE!! WE will always remember you friend. Take care and hope you are in heaven. You died too early because YOU STILL owe me 5000 bucks you son of a dog-loving wart!! Rot in hell sotellite pisser!!

A bit like Mark Twain I fear reports of my death may have been slightly exaggerated!!


Prinda in UK at 23:24:52 Tuesday October 7 2003
Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham - You have some issues to sort BOY. You need special help tumpino.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 09:20:03 Tuesday October 7 2003
I think you're probably right "Jaido". Why do I waste my time trying to help? Then again, why do you waste your time insulting people you don't know?


Steve in New York at 22:10:46 Monday October 6 2003
Amstrad-Fun, I was not trying to insult you but compliment you buddy. Wrexham is much worse than I mentioned here.


Jaido in Bedford at 20:22:55 Monday October 6 2003
Amstrad-Fan sounds like a loser. No wonder... lives in Wrexham! LOL! Muahahahahahaha!


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 16:13:14 Monday October 6 2003
Point proved I would say... (Poor quality insult, by the way) Why not contribute something constructive to the Amstrad technical support discussion then instead of proving me right?


Steve in New York at 15:23:54 Monday October 6 2003
I used to live in Wrexham and it is a SHIT place. The absolute pits. The birds look like dogs and the blokes look like fags. I used to live on Station Rd. I like Amstrad though.


sam in huddersfield at 09:19:07 Monday October 6 2003
The monitor on my amstrad pc 1512 acts as though it has no power supply so is of no use. yet, it is connected to the mains supply can you tell me what is wrong with it?


sam in uk huddersfield at 09:15:50 Monday October 6 2003
The monitor on my amstrad pc 1512 acts as though it has no power supply so is of no use. yet, it is connected to the mains supply can you tell me what is wrong with it?


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 09:08:56 Monday October 6 2003
What a shame there are so many fools in the world. This page had the potential for being such a useful resource for Amstrad computer users, but sadly it is being ruined by people (of ALL nationalities) whose twisted idea of humour is rude and anti-social. That such a page exists at all is a rarity in the fast-buck IT world and genuine Amstrad users should applaud Amstrad's commitment to help its users. Grow up.


John Wittson in USA at 09:33:46 Saturday October 4 2003
Shut up Tundi! I am sick of you you dicko! Your advise does not NOT not NOT work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How can I upgrade 2MB to 1.8GB???????????????????? Unless I buy another 16MB memory chip, 18 - 2 = 16. Now.... who is the dim one? Huh!


Tundi at 09:29:38 Saturday October 4 2003
You so dumb sir! I tell you use other way sir! Upgraed Pockot dockot memory and all be ok sir! Problem solved sir! You so dim sir!


John Wittson in USA at 09:27:11 Saturday October 4 2003
I have tried that Tundi. I have a pocket-dockit. I get an error message when I install half way through.... "Insufficient space - 2MB free found - 1.8GB required" ???


Tundi at 09:22:07 Saturday October 4 2003
What kind of dim person you is sir! You so lame! You no understand conputers! You leard quick plees sir! Windows server 2003 not will run on your e-mailer sir! You have first to buy a addon for program to work! It is 35 dollars and is called Pockot dockot!


John Wittson in USA at 09:17:48 Saturday October 4 2003
I have just purchased Microsoft Windows 2003 Server. I have a problem because I can find any way to install it on the Amstrad E-M@iler Plus. What a fraud this product is.


Juniper in DL at 09:13:13 Saturday October 4 2003
Please do not say that as it was never there but on 2 seasons at a time, Marcia saw the turning of the owl at once.

??? (A pint of whatever he's drinking!)


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 09:06:10 Friday October 3 2003
Hello Florentin! I don't have a monitor manual but a good place to try is Harrison Electronics as they *do* have spares for this screen, which seems to be a rebadged Daewoo model. Their URL is: http://website.lineone.net/~harrison.elec/ . Look under "Amstrad Spares" naturally. Best of luck!


Florentin Stanescu at 07:03:02 Friday October 3 2003
Hello My name is Stanescu Florentin, I'm electronical engener, and i have and old but (for me) gold monitor Amstrad PC 14M28LR. Yesterday is broken. First I ceek/and change all the electrolytic capacitor from the supply, test the H trafo and all about the H stage. After this I place a new BU 2508 AF and I push the power button. The monitor go in the boot sequence and after I selected one of the 2 Windows ( what i have in my computer ) the BU is broken again. Because I haven't any data sheet i don't any voltage for comparation. If you can help me with any suggestios, or a service manual I was very gratifull. My email is fstanescu@lycos.com Your Florentin Stanescu


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 08:55:32 Tuesday September 30 2003
Jonathan - Your best bet is probably Ebay. There's usually one comes up every week or two. Postage can be steep though - around £20. Best of luck!


jonathan doyle in Cork. Ireland at 17:01:16 Monday September 29 2003
I want to purchase an Amstrad 1512 DD. Who do I contact to obtain one ASAP.


SuperCreate Admin at 00:37:23 Wednesday September 24 2003
My new site DforDrivers (http://www.dfordrivers.com) now has an Amstrad Drivers page at http://www.dfordrivers.com/manufacturers/amstrad.php with drivers for Amstrad computers available for download. I've currently only got 3 Amstrad drivers, so please upload Amstrad drivers that you think may be useful!


M. at 06:08:09 Tuesday September 23 2003
This is just a thank you for the text about the 500k+ of illiterate email. That jusy gave me one hell of a laugh. Here in Australia we have the same, and many related, problems with migrants. I am just looking for lazer pickups, and will move on. Thanks for the laugh. M.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 10:42:30 Monday September 22 2003
Robert Klein - Let us know which model Amstrad computer you have. What is the "error code"? That would do for a start!


Robert Klein in Manchester, Iowa at 23:33:33 Sunday September 21 2003
I replaced a disc drive I thought was bad. When I booted the computer back up, I still get the same error code. Should I change the bios or could it be a possible power supply problem, or should I just change the motherboard. What would you suggest to do first.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 22:42:01 Saturday September 20 2003
Hello Graham Butcher! Yes, I saw the ANB on Ebay - you'll will have to check if there's a fuse onboard first - the cheapest and easiest check before you go looking for other parts. Does the ANB have a built-in power supply or external? These machines don't get much of a mention anywhere on the net except at replacement laptop battery companies. It was probably a re-badged machine from the far-east. See if you can spot another maker's mark somewhere. As for your PPC 640 - great!I have a few of these. You might find a manual at Beamish in London (think it's www.bemish.com/zone.htm). Not easy finding the original floppy disks except in Cliff's archive - go there now!


graham butcher in Chelmsford, UK at 20:11:52 Saturday September 20 2003
I have aquired an old laptop ANB386SX40 which I was not aware Amstrad made a true laptop. It is not working as the PSU unit is defunct and I would like to restore it at least working condition for future use as maybe a museum piece and I was wondering if you know where I can get any parts and information about this machine at all. I have trwled through the internet without any success. I also have an old but working PPC640DD but alas without it's manual and the software that came with it are all copies and I was looking to return this machine back to its former condition. The machine itself is in A1 condition and only appears to have had a few hours use in it's life. The keys etc are as new and the PCB's are dust free. Have you any idea where I can the manual and the original operating discs from? Yes I know that an Amstrad PB1500 is not a PC but you might just know where I can also get assistance with a manual for this phone? Many thanks, I think that you are doing a wonderful job here as it is a crying shame that with so many Amstrad machines of one sort or another around that there is so little support for a true home grown company and man like Alan Sugar.


Dave Stevens in Birmingham, UK at 14:38:57 Saturday September 20 2003
My parents have one of the original Amstrad emailers. They recently moved home, and can't send e-mail out - although they can received it. Originally, they were told this was because they were in a council run property and had to get permission (which they did). Now they can't update their own number in the emailer. Tech support is as informative as usual (squillion pence a minute to be told to reset the power). Any advice?


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 22:47:58 Thursday September 18 2003
Hello Ian Newham! You've not given us much to go on! Does the screen display the "Please Wait..." text for example? Does the hard-disk LED flicker? Does the floppy-drive seek? If the Please Wait text appears and then the system hangs try pressing Ctrl+Alt+S to see if you can get into the BIOS set-up. If you can and the clock is wrong and tehard-disk not listed, it could be another case for replacing the clock/battery chip as mentioned below. If you 3086 just comes up with a "Command Interpreter Missing" error a faulty hard-disk, controller or BIOS setting could be to blame. Let us know a bit more info.


Ian Newham in Derbyshire at 13:14:11 Tuesday September 16 2003
I have a PC3086 which will not boot. Power supply is ok. Any ideas Thanks Ian


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 12:01:53 Tuesday September 16 2003
Chris in Australia - A Quick PS - Yes, the Dallas 12887 battery/clock will work fine as a replacement for the old 1287. I've just had the same thing happen with my 3286 and the new item works fine. No problems at all and a one-minute job to prize out the old chip (carefully!) and push in the new. Cost in the UK is about £8 including our VAT. Farnell list them, not sure about Australia!


Alan Junges-Stainthorpe in Poland at 06:42:09 Sunday September 14 2003
I used to play Batman a lot on my old pc in the late 80s early 90s. I thought the graphics were great for that age. Is there any way I could get a version that would play on my laptop (I have windows XP installed)?


John in Sussex at 17:11:11 Thursday September 11 2003
Kellen: First thing to do is check the DIP switches on the left-hand side of the PPC512. See http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cliff.lawson/portable.htm#PPCDIP for what the switches do. Also see if the contrast dial on the top of the PPC does anything. If you get to the point where it asks for a boot disc, then download ppcdisks.zip from elsewhere on Cliff's site and extract that to a 720k floppy; or use any other 720k DOS (not Windows 95 or later) boot floppy.


John in Sussex at 16:36:09 Thursday September 11 2003
John in Leamington Spa: You can use a VGA monitor with the PC1640, but you need an 8-bit ISA VGA card in one of the expansion slots, and to change the DIP switches on the back to disable the internal graphics adaptor. Other options are to find a substitute monitor that matches what the PC1640 has (MDA for PC-MD, CGA for PC-CD, EGA for PC-ECD); or to take the hard drive and controller out of the PC1640 and plug them into a newer PC (this may or may not work depending on the design of the controller).


Kellen in Barrie, Ont at 23:53:47 Wednesday September 10 2003
hey, i have an amstrad ppc 512 it runs fine off of an old sega adaptor!lol it turns on checks the disk drive then goes beep beep beep ANY HELP ON THIS SUBJECT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!


John in Leamington Spa, UK at 22:36:08 Wednesday September 10 2003
Friends keep accounts for their businees on PC1640. Recently monitor has developed fault (PSU still OK). Need to retrieve data stored on HDD. Can I use a VGA monitor with 1640?? If not what do I need to help them get at their data? Anyone got any ideas? Can I get monitor repaired?? Can I get AT to read HDD??


Arlon Nelson in Minot, North Daktoa at 01:59:29 Tuesday September 9 2003
How do you get into the BIOS of the PC1640DD. The batteries went dead after years and years and now can't get at the hard drive. What is the setup for the 30 meg hard drive card. Thanks


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 10:23:29 Friday September 5 2003
Rabat, there's nothing special about the original Amstrad boot disk on these machines, any DOS 3.3 boot disk will do. Check www.bootdisk.com or similar to get you going. It sounds like something got deleted (probably "command.com") by mistake.


rabat in france at 09:16:42 Friday September 5 2003
I've an Amstrad PC 3286 (2.1v). I've a problem with command.com 'cause when i start the computer, it comes the message:interpreter of command absent or bad. i need a boot disk. could you help me, please.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 09:07:07 Friday August 29 2003
Hello Chris! Your 3386 problems sound like a clock/battery problem. On these models I think the clock and motherboard BIOS battery were a single unit made by Dallas, model 1287. It's a small oblong box just behind the keyboard plug on the m'board. If the PC is not holding it's set-up config the lithium battery in this unit might be dead. The 1287 is no longer made, however Dallas replaced it with model 12887 which is. There's a possibility the new item may not work due to "modernisation" but it's worth a try. To access your BIOS you have to boot the PC and then press "Ctrl-Alt-S".


Chris in Gold Coast - Australia at 23:44:10 Thursday August 28 2003
We have a old Amstrad PC3386 sx and we have replaced the AT power Supply. Before we did this the computer functioned normally-now it cannot detect the 72MB c: Drive and it keeps cumming up set date and time. i set the date and time and it still has the same re-occuring problem..... ANY advice???? i also need to no how to enter the bios setup... Please help


Liz in London at 23:45:08 Wednesday August 27 2003
I have an Amstrad PDA 600 that I haven't used for a while so took out the AA batteries. I got around to putting some fresh ones in, the Pen Pad started with the initial screen then I accidentally hit the button for French, panicked and took the batteries out. Now when I press the on button, it makes the usual chirp but the screen is dark. I think it can be solved by doing a reset but I've forgotten how to do it and can't find the manual. Can you help please?


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham at 10:05:50 Wednesday August 27 2003
Ah John, that's interesting! I know about the "twist" but hadn't realised the pin-2 setting applied to 3-1/2" drives. I have some 5-1/4" drives that I can switch the D1-D2 jumpers to get round the 360/1.2 problem. Thanks for the update! I also know that later Amstrad PCs have a BIOS option to change the pin-2 setting. Instead of using the "Mixed" floppy setting you use "PS2" which means a cable without a twist can be used.


John in Sussex at 23:59:25 Tuesday August 26 2003
One other suggestion for Anthony: If you can get hold of a PPC512 or PPC640, try taking the A: drive out of that. The reason you can't use a modern 1.4Mb drive as the PC200 A: drive is that modern drives are all hardwired to be unit 1, but the A: drive on an Amstrad XT needs to be unit 0. If all else fails you could try replacing the motherboard floppy cable with a one from a modern PC that's got a twist.


Amstrad-Fan in Wrexham UK at 13:25:00 Tuesday August 26 2003
Hello Anthony in Australia. As Cliff mentions elswhere on these pages a 1.44mb drive will not work on an XT class machine. It can just be made to work as a B: drive with careful DOS tweaking. Your only solution is to either: Search Ebay or similar for a 720k 3-1/2" drive (best bet); - or connect a 5-1/4 320k or 3-1/2" 720k drive externally and change the motherboard DIP switch to change the external to the A: drive (check your manual for which one). Trouble is finding an external drive! They are nothing special, just have the FDD ribbon connected to the Centronics plug and the power to a DIN - both sockets on the back of the PC. They were sold for the PC20/200 and the PC2086 range. In the end the most sensible and easiest is to find a SecondHand 3-1/2" 720k drive (make does not really matter).


anthony in Australia Melbourne at 22:07:18 Sunday August 24 2003
I have an Amstrad 512k Pc20, the floppy disk drive seems faulty. I continually get "insert system disk" and no movement of floppy head. It is a citizen KHL-20M13B OKI floppy drive, tried subsituting 1.44 mb drive and others to no avail. Any ideas to subsitute drives or hacks?


José Casanova in OPORTO- PORTUGAL at 03:44:29 Thursday August 21 2003
I´ve an Amstrad PPC (portable). I don´t remenber the last time I used it! 1.How can I get the DOS (3.3) program to make it work? 2. How can I make the modem (2400? b) to work (to try it) 3. Floppy drives are only for 740 K floppy disks? 4. And another programs (as a Word Processor, for ex....)? J.A.


Anon in Sussex at 20:43:22 Wednesday August 20 2003
I'm afraid that until you delete all references to sat**ite you will get all the search engines finding you. There is a delay before they recheck you but you should eventually get rid of the off subject emails. I found my way here by typing sat***ite and Amstrad, those who don't speak English can only understand these two words (Americans of course are just too lazy to read ;-). Pity really as I bought a couple of Amstrad word processors and threw them out, if I had found your page I'd have probably replaced the belts and sold them at a profit, Oh well, good site and good luck with the postings.


Bernd in german at 11:36:47 Wednesday August 20 2003
i have a printer/fax ppf 3000 from dancall and need a driver for win 98 and win 2000. can you help me, where can i find ???


Shades in Kent UK at 12:05:42 Tuesday August 19 2003
Please can you tell me :- What the display chip set is in a PC9555i Where can I get the driver(s) for that chip set Or what standard Win98se video driver(s) will work above 640x480x16


Anon in Wasilla Alaska at 07:44:47 Monday August 18 2003
I stombled on this sote, and think it is a frokin hoot that thier ore this many odiots int the world. Loave not a mossage rogarding sololites he soys, yot, sove the invontive geek working in the shodows of Boll Gotes Soattle, nobody lostens. =) People are idiots... I loved that movie, how was it spelled? Soilent Green... I think there is hope in the concept!... ourhouse@bk.ru PS - If you have not got your answers fom this guy hosting this site, and you are still having problems with your satelite reciever, or if you have lost your PIN in the sands of Iraq or something, try this... I discovered that the very best solution is to use WD-40, or any light oil. Find the vent hole near the power supply on the back of the unit and apply liberal amounts of the fluid. Saltwater also works wonders. Good luck and God Bless Sodamn Insane...


LostSoul in Germany at 20:11:40 Saturday August 16 2003
hiho i just managed to get a nice little penpad pda600. funny thing that is. but sadly i havent got any manual for it. do you know where to get one (probably an only resource where i could download it) ? regards lost www.lostinpockets.tk


Brian (again!) in Edinburgh at 16:30:52 Wednesday August 13 2003
I just hate putting out decent equipment while its still working and would like to "link" (network?) the old faithful 1640 beast up with my PIII Windows 98 rip snorter, and run through some of the (genuine) floppies I've built up over years, not to say use the commercial programmes supplied with the machine...


Brian in Edinburgh at 15:42:20 Tuesday August 12 2003
I have an Amstrad 1640 DD colour monitor and Amstrad dmp both in decent working order. Is this of use/interest/value in today's Pentium world....?


Nicola in Brixton at 19:25:53 Monday August 11 2003
How do I get an emulator software?


Eric in Seattle, WA at 11:00:40 Monday August 11 2003
There have been a lot of questions regarding using the display from an Amstrad PPC 512 or 640 on a PC. Well, I've finally made it work! I spent nearly all of last summer devising the circuitry, and several weeks this summer devising the software to make this display work with high-level RS-232 serial commands such as "sp0,0" (set pixel 0,0) and "st0,0,t" (Set Text "t" at 0,0). It's by no means finished, but I've begun to lose interest as I've proven the point that I can do it... I even started programming a game easter egg into the firmware. I used nearly 20 TTL ICs to control timing, as it would be hard (or impossible?) to keep proper timing with a uC that also has to handle text and graphics display. It was a tremendous learning experience, I'd never done so much with TTL timing, etc. I'm possibly planning a redesign using GALs (which I've never used before), which could cut down the number of ICs by 10 or more. Possibly after that I'll move on to FPGAs. All for the learning experiences involved. On the other hand, I recently was admitted to the EE department at the UW, and may finally learn these things in school rather than on my own. Anyways, I plan to document my LCD controller on my website: http://fina.lly.org/ sometime before school starts again. Once that's done, everything necessary to build the controller will be publicly available. Unfortunately, the custom PC board, all the chips, the hours of soldering, etc. means I'd have to charge $150 to make the controller for someone. Though, if you're still interested, you're welcome to email me. If there's high demand I could probably cut costs drastically, maybe as low as $50 apiece. (Quality PC Boards cost ~$50 to produce individually, manufacture times would decrease as I could create an assembly line for myself, and everything's cheaper in large quantities). Now, "Mr. Amstrad Responds," I believe you have a job-offer for me, per your response to DJ in South Africa at 9:33:56 Monday February 12 2001? ;) Eric


andreas in germany at 02:19:11 Sunday August 10 2003
i like programming with locomotive basic2 which was delivered with the schneider/amstrad pc. though i have downloaded the english version which supports colors etc., i have still not enough memory in basic2 (60872bytes free) though i have windows 98 running in the background and 128mb ram installed. obviously, the "gem desktop" does not like the fat32. but no matter if you have a pc with fat32 or not, you always have only 60872 bytes free. can anyone help me? andreas-stahl@usa.com


darren painter in Cardiff at 15:32:19 Saturday August 9 2003
my emailer+ often cuts off the internet connection.the phone cable etc is in good working order,and the wires are fitted correctly.what do u think could be the problem?


Nigel in NW UK at 15:09:04 Wednesday August 6 2003
My apologies to all. I was so glad to come across this site, with all the helpful files and technical tips from Cliff, that I was happy to get involved to a tiny extent. I hadn't read all the messages, just done text searches for relevant items I needed. Today I had some free time. Well, just reading all the 2003 messages came as a great shock. Have we computer users sunk so low, and become so twisted, that people actually sit at their(lonely)PCs and write such rude garbage? I found it unbelievable. This web-site/service had the potential to be a strong rallying point for all Amstrad fans/users. All I can say is a heartfelt "Thankyou" to Cliff and Amstrad (and I can well understand why he gave up replying) but may I suggest it would improve this site no end if this page was removed for good. Those lonely fools would then have to go elsewhere to vent their poisoned spleens. Best Wishes to Cliff all genuine Amstrad users. Nigel.


Rajiv Chakraborty in Manchester at 11:03:26 Wednesday August 6 2003
Whats the cache memory for the Amstrad e-mailer plus.


Kierre in Miami at 07:10:54 Tuesday August 5 2003
The floop drive in my computer isn't booting up or loading... when my computer scans when starting up it says checking all devices CD rom hard drive and so on but when it gets to the final stages of start up it says the "Floopy Drive Failed" then it asks if I was to check the setup or continue without it... currently this is the only removable media I have on the old thing. can you sent intructions on how to turn the floopy (Internal) back on. I hate PCs by the way the world shoud be in MACintosh....


Anon at 09:09:27 Monday August 4 2003
Sachin, hello! Try a Google search for "Harrison Electronics", I think they list some DMP spares in the Amstrad section. You might also try SD Micros. Both are UK companies.


Nigel at 09:07:17 Monday August 4 2003
Hello Rob Galpin! Yes, it's easy enough to create the boot disk you need as long as you can use an older version of MS-DOS, say 3.3, 5.0 or 6.xx to do the formatting of the floppy. (XP etc don't allow the same flexibility any more) There are command line switches to allow a 360k or 720k format. You can even format a 1.44mb floppy this way. For example "FORMAT A: /T:80 /N:9" should give you a 720k disk and if memory serves changing the "/T" parameter to "/T:40" might do the 360k trick. Check your FORMAT parameters with the "/?" switch. Now as for emulating a PC1640 with MESS, you would also need the Amstrad ROM. I'm not sure of the legality of "borrowing?" this from elswhere, it might still be under a restricted copyright, but if you already own a PC1640 then you should be okay.


Ben Francis in Twickenham at 20:25:20 Sunday August 3 2003
Have a 1640 complete butit's now beginning to smoke (power supply). It's down good service with 1st Word Plus as the WP but it's time to move on. A gift to anyone who can collect from Twickenham UK.


sachin in india at 14:02:58 Sunday August 3 2003
we are specialist in repair of dmp printer heads . i need some help ,could you give me ,some email address with telephone no. the company who deals with printer heads repairing or supply spare parts for heads like,ceramic guides,pins, head cables etc thanking you regards sachin


Rob Galpin in Newcastle, UK at 11:37:01 Sunday August 3 2003
Hello, I'm trying to use MESS to emulate an Amstrad PC1640. I've downloaded the system discs from this site, but I can't create a boot disc because I don't have a 5.25 inch drive. Does anyone know if it's possible to create bootable discs on a 3.5 inch drive, so that I can create an image to run the emulation? Has anyone got MESS to successfully emulate a PC1640 or 1512? Any help/advice/info much appreciated


Dur Dabe in Brighton & Hove at 09:51:55 Sunday August 3 2003
Is there any way I can reporgram my DRX100 receiver via the serial port to download OTHER channels as any other receiver not related to Sky? I wish to use the receiver out of Sky or do I have to dump it and go for a user friendly one?


Nigel at 20:22:44 Saturday August 2 2003
Hello "18" ! Well I'm nothing to do with this site but I've been adding my twopennyworth recently. I have several PPC640s (he brags!)and think they are splendid pieces of computer history. Now... To your problem. Several things spring to mind as this has happened to me on different occasions. Cliff mentions elsewhere on his site about the peak power needed when the floppy starts up - that's why the supplied power adaptor can give 1.9 amps! A substandard supply my not deliver so that when the floppy starts power is robbed elswhere and the PC reboots. Secondly this may actually be a media problem - this happened to me too! I formatted a new 1.4MB floppy in a modern drive, to 720k, then used Cliffs boots disk making util to create a new boot floppy. BUT when I put it in the left drive and press my key (as Please Wait... had run it's course on screen) the motor started and then the screen blanked and the PC rebooted. The problem - believe it or not was the modern floppy. Despite being formatted correctly the Amstrad wanted a good, old DD 720k disk, not an HD reformatted. So I dug out an old blue one-hole floppy, used Cliffs programme and all was fine and dandy! So give that a try and see if it helps. All the best!


18 in UK at 20:08:37 Saturday August 2 2003
I have an Amstrad ppc640, which when powered up, after a breif period of displaying "please wait...." on the LCD, lets off 3 bleeps, and goes blank. Following this nothing.. I downloaded the appropriate boot disks from this site (which apparently doesn't get too much maintanance these days, but thats societies fault..) put them onto floppies (yes, formatted at 720k, the capacity of the machines 2 drives) and obtained an equally negative reaction - 3 bleeps and blank LCD. Reassuring myself, one of the many varieties of DOS boot disks I had lying around would work, I spent several further hours repeating the boot proceedure, but still only continued to recieve the familiar 3 bleeps, and blank screen. It isn't the floppy drive, as at this very moment, its clicking away reading the dos boot disk I inserted into it, the LCD being quite blank... but not faulty, as it displays the Please Wait thing upon power-up. The power supply, is fairly tatty appearance wise, but I'm fairly certain it works correctly as its supplying power to the machine. (I also tried a universal PSU thing for use with phones, handheld Pcs and games consoles, keyboards torches etc, but nothing happened, the highest voltage available being 12v) Anywho, this was all over a year ago, when with a seemingly faulty PPC I e-mailed this message board, and have since recieved no reply. And its quite understandable why. Its quite disgusting some of the crap that gets posted on this page, and exists in the world. But I get my pleasure, not from the knowledge that some pointless gibbersish I posted on a perfecly good message board is causing others annoyance, not from polluting the cyberworld with my unwanted presence, not from spending my time smashing windows with bricks, spraying graffiti on walls, seeing how many prostitutes I can insert my particulars into whilst drugging myself, and saying "hey, I Don't even have to work to get payed - I got an equal chance in life - I blew it - but I can base everthing I do around my own personal pleasure because I have an infinte number more"... but by spending time on my nice little computers, in my nice little room in my nice little house.. away from "them". My question about the PPC640 is perfectly valid, I DO have better things to do than post rubbish about "sotellite recievers" (well thats debatable I suppose) and this being a Q&A about Amstrad computers ( hang on PPC portable personal COMPUTER, made by erm.. lets see, where'd the label go.. AMSTRAD,) could I please have it answered? Any help appreciated


Kat in Derbyshire at 13:04:36 Saturday August 2 2003
I'm looking for an old Amstrad, where the keyboard had a cassette player on it. The cassette player was used for playing games on it. Do you know of any place I can get one?


Nigel at 09:27:53 Friday August 1 2003
Hello Michael - Depends on the reason you "MUST" have over 50 3" disks read... That's a lot of data! Cheapest option for this amount of disks is to buy a secondhand 8256 or 8512 from ebay. There are always some available and the less than cosmetically perfect ones go for about £5 - £10. To get the disks converted and copied to, say, 3 1/2" disks is easy enough but the companies that do it do charge for their services (SD Micros springs to mind but there are many others). To sell 50 3" disks should be easy if they are in good condition - they are in limited supply!


michael fisher in wigan at 00:38:00 Friday August 1 2003
I have 50+ 3" discs which I would like to either 1. sell, or 2. use on a PCW8512, or buy a PCW8512. Unfortunately I am on income support and can afford very little. But I MUST get these discs read someway or another. Please help.


Nigel at 09:22:46 Thursday July 31 2003
John - Hello! Ahh, thanks. That clears that up. I'd finally realised that not all the pins were present in the larger 1512 DIN plug! If anyone knows a reliable source for good, working CGA/EGA or 1640 monitors please let me know!


John in Sussex at 23:34:32 Wednesday July 30 2003
Nigel: The PPC512/640 can use a PC1512 monitor as a power supply, but not display on it. For power and display you need a PC1640 monitor.


Nigel at 15:14:29 Wednesday July 30 2003
WartyX (!) No. See Cliff's points made about fitting a hard-drive to an older XT-type PC and you can see you're trying to connect to an even older technology than that. Floppy disk interfaces aren't the same as HD ones. I remember a "Winchester Disk" being made available for the likes of the Sinclair QL - but that was a totally different technology. Oh and the disk was a rare as hen's teeth.


WartyX in Loughborough, England at 14:09:34 Wednesday July 30 2003
Please can you tell me if there is a hard drive possible to connect to and AMSTRAD CPC 6128? What I've been thinking is connecting it to the secondary disc drive thingymajiggy making the AMSTRAD "think" it is reading a disc but in actual fact it's reading a Hard Drive, so you can save your data on a higher capacity format.


Nigel at 09:16:55 Wednesday July 30 2003
Mrs Bishi -- Try http://members.aol.com/sdmicro/ SD Micros. They are a UK company and list all the start up disks you need.


Nigel at 09:08:48 Wednesday July 30 2003
Firstly Justin, yes you are in the wrong place if you don't know who Amstrad are! However I will help, (but you *surely* have read the rest of this site!?!)Your problem is nothing to do with IDE ! It is most likely either a BIOS setting for the type of Floppy disk drive you have fitted in your machine, or it is in the command you are giving to the Format utility. For example, are you using the Windows, right-click explorer menu to do your format? Or a DOS window? All that is happening is that your operating system is telling you that either the disk you have put in the drive does not support the format you are requesting, or that the drive itself has been set up as a different type in the BIOS - two options I hesitate to tell you how to correct as they may be tricky!


Justin in s.a at 11:06:02 Tuesday July 29 2003
Firstly i dont know what AMSTRAD is so if this is the wrong place for this question, please forgive me! or tell where i can get help from, i'd really app it. I am having problems with a 1.44" stiff drive which iv'e just installed onto my PC. im currently running win 98 se> windows refuses to open the disk in the drive. It gives a message that "the disk in drive a is not formated! do you want to format it now" if you choose no, nothing happens naturally. But if you choose YES,after 2 long min. it comes up with another message stating " the disk capacity in drive a doesnt match the drive spec" or something like that. I've tried eveything from new ide cables to del ide controllers from device manager, change settings in CMOS and now i'm all out of ideas! Is there a patch that i need for w 98 or am i missin something! please help! thanx!


Nigel at 10:51:44 Tuesday July 29 2003
Quite frankly I can see why Cliff doesn't answer this thread any more. Hardly anyone reads the "rules". A pity because there are many of us Amstrad fans out here who need a little help from time to time and Cliff's site is the best yet! Amstrad were true computer innovators. Already I've found missing drivers/disks for my PPC and 1512, and some useful technical tips. Invaluable. A shame then that this section is ruined, and made untenable, by the illiterate (sic) and unthinking "Sotellite" crowd.


Robert Klein in Manchester, Iowa. at 22:05:02 Sunday July 27 2003
I`m trying to copy the information in cmos/bios setup. Is there anyway to just print the information as apposed to writing it all down.


Anon in Australia at 03:58:13 Sunday July 27 2003
How can you acess the cmos on an amstrrad 386sx


Mrs M Bishi in Devon at 14:19:26 Friday July 25 2003
Hello. I found my old Amstrad PCW8512 in the loft but cannot find the original locoscript disc to make it work. Do you know where I may be able to get one after all this time? I do have three "data" discs but they will not start it up.Thanks for any help you can give me. MBishi


Nigel in Shropshire at 23:00:56 Wednesday July 23 2003
I have a PPC640 and was wondering if I can make use of the DIN style video socket on the back panel. I have PC1512DD as well and notice that the monitor lead is the correct size etc. Can I use it as a desktop montor for the PPC? Does there have to be some sort of signal on the smaller DIN lead to the monitor for it to activate? Etc. (PS Can't believe the number of non-PC questions down there! Incredible!)


Max Luban in Germany at 16:42:45 Wednesday July 23 2003
Hello ! I need a manual in english or geman for an answering machine Amstrad DT100. Can somebody help me. Thanks. max


JH at 23:01:46 Tuesday July 22 2003
that went a bit wrong URL for Amstrad Mega PC for auction is here cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11989&item=3037087980


J Hayward in Portsmouth UK at 22:59:16 Tuesday July 22 2003
this is a weird and freaky machine for sale An Amstrad Mega PC, its a 386 and Sega Megadrive (Genesis) in one!! Ive just restored it back to working order, as Ive just fitted a new cmos battery to it. has reserve of UK£35 to it, this is less than half the end price of previous ones Ive seen. I can ship anywhere in the world, and it works on 110 or 220/240 volts.


Rab in Bristol UK at 11:03:43 Monday July 21 2003
what do I need to fire up a ALT-286 'laptop' machine, recently found in the loft?


Ian Phillips in Staines, Middlesex. England at 22:18:45 Thursday July 10 2003
Have recently re-discovered my old 1640 in a cupboard. Unfortunatly do not have the old 5.25" disks to reload. Any ideas on how to either get hold of some or more importantly add a 3.5" disk to reload an OS from. Many thanks in advance.


Andy in Hampshire at 09:40:54 Saturday July 5 2003
I have a PCS2386. I shut down the PC by parking the disk. The instruction told me to switch off (so I guess the park worked successfully). Now I cannot boot to C:. Luckily I have an original Amstrad MS-DOS 3.3 boot disk, so I can boot to A:, but when I type C: it cannot find the disk. Do I need to open the BIOS? Do I need to unpark the disk (and if so, how?) Needless to say I have lots of files on HDD and no backup so any help would be great!


Rich Hughes in Staffordshire at 00:28:22 Thursday July 3 2003
i was just wondering what operating system the Amstrad CPC 464 ran on? just out of curiosity, i still have one, i used to use it, ages ago. And i was also wondering if you could help me with using the basic commands, does it use commands similar to old DOS commands? Could you please email me any answers or help you have? Cheers, Rich.


Rich Hughes in Staffordshire at 00:27:07 Thursday July 3 2003
i was just wondering what operating system the Amstrad CPC 464 ran on? just out of curiosity, i still have one, i used to use it, ages ago. And i was also wondering if you could help me with using the basic commands, does it use commands similar to old dos commands? Cheers, Rich.


LUKE at 12:53:09 Tuesday July 1 2003
Something i forgot, the computer is a PC1512 HD20.


LUKE at 12:51:47 Tuesday July 1 2003
How do you REPLACE a hard disk drive? do i have to replace the controller as well? Do i need only a new HDD? how should i remove the HDD drive and controller? help!


Anon in Notts UK at 11:42:22 Friday June 27 2003
PAL formated and reinstalled DOS3.2 on Amstrad PC1640 20HD However, attached was a Sunix card with external 1.44 floppy this is recognised on boot up as as sunix external 1.44 floppy drive 2. adding driver.sys /d:2 /f:7 to config.sys enables floppy as drive d: and can read 1.44 ok but all hell breaks loose trying to format even with f:720 and 720 disk. drivparm is (unrecognised command)Never saw original config.sys ANy Suggestions??


kev at 18:19:33 Thursday June 26 2003
can i stop the adverts appearing on the amstrad e-mailer telephone if so how


sean in Lincoln UK at 17:39:30 Thursday June 26 2003
Amstrad PC2086D PSU Fault Can anyone suggest what to try.The PSU in our 1980s PC is dead,the only output is about 4v on the cooling fan (should be 12v) no 5v poss or neg supply,no fuse blowing or overheating but the PSU will just not start up.Replaced Reg I.C ,all electrolytic caps ,and as far as we can tell all other semi's and resistors in the PSU are reading ok, but still no output.Oh yes tested the transformer as well. We really need to get this working as it is the only PC we can find that will run the old Amstrad Info-master data base software! Any help appreciated, Many thanks, Sean


Graham Murdoch in Glasgow at 13:15:13 Thursday June 26 2003
Is there any way of using the smart card to transfer data from my NC100 to my PC laptop?


George Panagos in Athens - GREECE at 21:57:34 Tuesday June 24 2003
Hi, I have a 1640 machine and my monitor 'burned'. Can I use a CRT monitor with 1640? If yes, please tell me about the changes I have to do (pinout etc).... Thanks for your help George Panagos


Alf Cox in Ireland at 17:16:06 Monday June 23 2003
I have an Amstrad Laptop ALT-386sx with extended memory, running win for works 3.1, which worksvery well. However, there are afew issues I would like to resolve, but feel I could do this if I had an operations manual for same. I have searched the recommended site to no avail. Does it exist on-line?


Andrew Hoson in Kendal at 22:48:34 Friday June 20 2003
I have a pcc 640. Will the G.E.M. from a 1640 to work on it?


Maciek Wasilewski in Warsaw, Poland at 16:32:06 Sunday June 15 2003
I have a nice laptop "ALT-386sx" and one problem. Floppy drive doesn't work. If anybody knows where can I find that or similar drive, please help me. Maybe somebody know what can I plug standard HD floppy from PC to "Floppy Drive" port in this computer. Thank you and have nice day.


W.Ebert in Germany at 15:51:06 Saturday June 14 2003
I have a Laptop "286 ALT". And the Floppy-drive doesn't work. How can I find this Floppy (Teac FD-235 HF)with this specific (Amstrad)BUS-INTEGRATED power-supply? Can You help Me? Thanks...and a nice day.


Nick in Cambridge at 23:11:33 Friday June 13 2003
My sister has a functional 2086 running WordPerfect 5.1 and would like to download her accumulated documents for transfer to a modern pc. However the disc format (360 or 720k on a 3.25" disc to judge from elsewhere on your site) is not read by a modern pc and equally the Amstrad can't cope with a modern format high capacity floppy. I gather we can't replace the a:\ drive, so is there any other (simple) way to achieve the download - via the serial port for example ? The only present recourse is to print the documents then scanm & OCR them on the ne wpc.


alan otway in bolton england at 11:33:01 Friday June 13 2003
i cannot get passed the password on my notepad nc100 as i have had it given too me by my father


alan otway in bolton england at 11:31:09 Friday June 13 2003
on my amstrad notebook nc100 i cannot get passed the password, is there a pass code to reset the password


Angela in Cambridge at 11:40:53 Thursday June 12 2003
i am looking for Any add ons for my old Amstrad PenPad600please advise also any information thanks Angela


Stephan in Germany at 22:12:18 Monday June 9 2003
Please, where can I get informations about an AMSTRAD PC 2086/30 8 MHz? Which operating system do I have to use? Where can I get Software for using the internet?


Florin Epuras in Rotterdam at 15:38:55 Sunday June 8 2003
Hi, Just discovered in my uncle barn this CPC 6128 but laks any disk/OS etc. I know is using 3 inch disks. Does anyone knows where I can purchase some disks and also the OS , I believe is CP/M. Thanks in advance


Eagle Spirit in Henderson, NV USA at 14:56:12 Sunday June 8 2003
I would like to know if there is anywhere to find software especially startup disks for an amstrad pc-20 which I have just acquired


Antonio Cubello in ITALY at 10:14:03 Thursday June 5 2003
I've an Amstrad ppc512 and I would the data-shit of the LCD monitor, because I wolud connect it with a LTP cable, to my new DURON 1,3GHZ. Thanks


Dave Sniper in London at 17:22:16 Wednesday June 4 2003
Is there a company/someone somewhere that can transfar what's on my old amstrad discs to cd/floppy for use on a pc (Dell Dimension 2100) with Microsoft Windows XP? Does Amstrad do this? Preferably London/SE England.


Anon in swansea at 12:43:00 Saturday May 31 2003
how can i recive my emails without pressing the collect button


Michael in Jerusalem,Israel at 08:26:14 Tuesday May 27 2003
Hi all , Please tell me what is it the best screensaver for LCD screen(Black or White)? With Best Regards, Michael


Anibal in canary islands, spain at 20:17:29 Sunday May 25 2003
im spanish, my english is very bad... excuse I have amstrad pc 4386sx whitout keyboard, I read about incompatibiliti, but I have a keyboard from amstrad pc 1640, the 1640 conector have 6 pins, and the 4386 only 5, the question is, is posible make a adaptator from 1640 6 pin to 4386 5 pin, is posible use a keyboar from 2086 or 3000 or other amstrad En español, tengo un amstrad 4386, sin teclado, y un teclado de pc 1640. ¿seria posible hacer un adaptador para usar el teclado del 1640 en el 4386? ¿son compatibles los teclados d las series 1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx, y 4xxx? ¿se pueden adaptar algunos d estos teclados para alguno d estos ordnadores? gracias thank you


Anon in Bolton at 18:23:31 Thursday May 22 2003
Hi do you have any idea hoe to get passed the pin codes on the old emailer plus i have forgotten my pin and need to get into my profile so that i can change it all


herve in FRANCE at 07:14:56 Saturday May 17 2003
comment acceder au bios de mon amstrad 1512


VICTOR RAMALIVHANA in SOUTH AFRICA(MASIA VHANGANI) LIMPOPO at 19:34:58 Friday May 9 2003
I LIKE TO KNOW THAT WHICH WEVSITES ARE HAVING MORE DOWNLOADABLE GAMES OF I CAN DOWNLOAD THEM INTO MY COMPUTER AND FLOOPY?


Tomaz Kac in Slovenija at 16:40:17 Sunday May 4 2003
I have just bought an Schneider CPC 464 on the carboot sale. It came with a standard 3" Schneider Drive, a VORTEX 3.5" disk drive, an interface for it and another interface that can be connected between this and the normal vortex disk interface. When I turn the CPC on it says BOS 2.1 512 Vortex (or similar). The Schneider 3" disk drive seems to work (both lights turn up) but I don't have any disks to test. The VORTEX 3.5" drive makes a LOUD buzzing noise when turned on (it was cleaned properly before) and no light comes up (even if I insert the floppy). All this with the interface connected to the CPC with or without that other interface between. I am asking - is the 3.5" drive working ? When I do "CAT" it goes to the TAPE (PRESS PLAY ON TAPE) - I cannot get ANY drive to work from the BOS - I don't know any commands, etc. the |DISK |TAPE commands don't work ... Please help me to make this configuration working ! If you can help me then PLEASE mail the answers to me : tomcat@sgn.net Best regards, Tomaz


jen in nj at 17:56:45 Saturday May 3 2003
i need a site where i can download the software lexmark x85 for my printer. thank you


Anon in Gloucestershire...A Geordie In Exile! at 21:02:02 Tuesday April 29 2003
What about AMSTRAD PRINTERS?????? I can't find where to get 'CONTINUOUS' paper!!!!!! Love YOU...Fran


Anon in UK at 16:11:48 Tuesday April 29 2003
I want to hook-up the LCD Screen from an Amstrad E-Mailer to my computer, using a COM port or something, (just to display random stuff using an LCD program) I'm basically looking for information on what the wires are for, a diagram...? Thanks very much


PETER in UNITED KINGDOM at 16:40:18 Monday April 28 2003
I HAVE AN OLD AMSTRAD PC5286SD AND MY COUNTERPOINT DISKS ARE CORRUPT AND I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFO ON COUNTER POINT ITS LIKE IT NEVER EXSISTED. DO YOU NOW WHERE I CAN GET HOLD OF A COPY?


Anon in belgium at 10:41:07 Monday April 28 2003
what is the capacity of ALT-3865x is this a good laptop or is this a old model belgium


dragonflaye in france at 22:55:00 Wednesday April 23 2003
hello, i'm looking for the cpc game fruity frank on amstrad; i would like to download it but i find only fake game's. help me please; thank you; laurie


arash in iran at 21:26:42 Wednesday April 23 2003
i need the softwer of micro 8081 or 8051 ? & cominiocaition of 8051 & 8081


Mr. Dorival Bugs Junior in Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil at 21:24:54 Wednesday April 23 2003
I have a Amstrad printer (model 3160) that I buy on England, please, I need to know with what Epson printers are my printer compatible and, too, what model of printer ribbon may I use. Thanks, Mr. Dorival Bugs Jr.


martin heigl in germany - bavaria at 13:54:13 Tuesday April 22 2003
hello, i have found an old AMSTRAD CPC 6128. i'm making elektronik musik and want to use the cpc 6128 as midi-sequencer. so i need a midi-interface or a rs232-interface. do you know or have you any schematics for the interface. thanks martin from wellental


FARAJI SAID RANGI in I 'M TANZANIAN BUT FOR NOW I'M IN HOLLAND FOR STUDIES at 09:49:42 Tuesday April 22 2003
CAN I UPGARADE THE AMSTRAD LAPTOP COMPUTER SO THAT TO USE IT FOR WORD PROCESSING AND EXCEL ,AND WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS CONFIGURATION.


Rodrigo in Chile at 20:10:23 Sunday April 20 2003
I need files of Amstrad PPC512 disk boot,DOS3.3, etc .. please help me ..


John Hnatowych in South Australia at 12:30:49 Sunday April 20 2003
Hello, I have a AMSTRAD PPC640 (double drive, flip up screen etc). I dont have the original power supply, but I am running it off a 12v 2A powersupply through the battery clips. It seems to go through the POST well, but when it comes to actually loading an OS, it checks the disk (im using my 720Kb MS-DOS 5 install disk WHICH WORK on the other machines I own), yet it just stops spinning the disk. Then when I press any key, it starts checking the disk again...Im lost at why it wont boot!! Can anyone help!?


Norman Brown in London at 13:14:08 Saturday April 19 2003
where can I get software to transfer files from NC100 notebook to PC via serial cable? Thankyou


NEJAT in TURKEY at 00:40:34 Wednesday April 16 2003
do PCW 8256 printer use a pc ?


Leo Bhebhe in Seattle at 22:30:55 Tuesday April 15 2003
Why is 1KB equal to 1024bytes? Who defined it that way? Why is it appripiate to use it?


Tom in Maidenhead, Berkshire at 20:31:34 Tuesday April 15 2003
Dear Sir/Madam I have owned an Amstrad CPC 6128 for about 6 months when I first had it the disk drive did not work. To try and sort it out I put the little pin back in the right place I also replaced the belt. The red light now only comes on when I am reading a disc not when all the time as it was before I did these things. Now I get an error message saying error readind disc or something like that on EVERY disc I have, I have about 50. Please could you tell me what I could do to fix it if I can or where I can obain a new keyboard or disc drive. P.S. I also have a Amstrad CPC 646 and a monitor for that and the 6128 could the problem be with any of the monitors.


Taurai Chimusimbe in Harare; Zimbabwe at 08:00:11 Monday April 14 2003
I am looking for boot disks for Amstrad PCW 8512. Can you help me get them since my Word Processor machine is not booting. If there is anyone who want to buy please cotact me.


hirah javed in pakistan at 15:21:53 Saturday April 12 2003
sir my quesion is that i have a dot matrix printer AMSTRAD DMP 2000. but i don't have a driver of this printer. what i would to do it for this printer.plz answer me ass soon as mossible thanking you


Bob Nixon in Cheshire (Macclesfield) at 17:26:45 Tuesday April 8 2003
My friend has an Amstrad Emailer Plus that went wrong he has an Apollo 1200 printer attached via parallel printer port but the replacement has only USB and told he will have to but a new printer at about £80 his printer is working very well Could a Parallel to USB cable be a feasable solution at about £20


Max in Cagliari, Italy at 11:04:17 Tuesday April 8 2003
I own an amstrad pc4386sx and lately my power supply unit has failed due to a short circuit. Can anyone help me finding a new or used one? I am also searching for four 4M RAM 30-pin memory (4x4=16 Mb). Thank you for your help.


Dave in Nova Scotia Canada at 21:07:45 Thursday April 3 2003
I had an old Amstrad 640. The pinouts for DB25 are they the same as the newer IBM type of computer ?? I had an interface that worked on the Amstrad but not on the newer computer. Thank you Dave


Jenny in Hampshire at 20:28:22 Monday March 31 2003
Does anyone have an old Amstrad PCW 8512 that they don't need that works. My father's has just broken for the 2nd time in a month, so if I fix it again I am not sure how long it will last. Unable to use current computers due to arthritis. He has the software, printer etc, it just the computer thats a problem.


Graham Hanson in Hull, England at 10:39:05 Sunday March 30 2003
Ive got a PPC 640, still with the case. MSDOS Boot disk and First Choice program and some other assorted disk. Anybody wanna buy? Graham


Anon in London at 20:39:40 Saturday March 29 2003
John Is it possible to access my hotmail email address using an amstrad emailer plus ?


Anon in Douai - France at 15:06:54 Saturday March 29 2003
I've a 18 years old Amstrad PC3086. The problem is that the hard disk crashed a few weeks ago :( and I'm looking for a new one that would work properly with my computer... If any people had any one to give me (or sell me), can you please contact me at mg0@ifrance.com Thanks Mathieu


Arron in N.Ireland at 18:18:02 Thursday March 27 2003
TO Jenny Miller!!!!!!!!!!!!! Found a site for you. http://www.luxsoft.demon.co.uk/lux/pcw.html Has conversion services. Hope this Helps.


Jenny Miller in Near Aylesbury, Bucks at 16:01:42 Monday March 24 2003
Can any one help I have I have an old Amstrad computor, and I want to take the information off of a CF2 compact floppy disc (which is in Locoscript) and transfer the records on the disc to a PC floppy disc or Convert to word or similar PC word processing program


Julian Latham in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom at 13:20:22 Sunday March 23 2003
I am looking for the Eden Software & Comms cable to connect a PDA 600 to a PC.


Steve in United Kingdom at 07:35:32 Saturday March 22 2003
I Have Just One Question. Do You Have Any Info On Where I Can Pick Up Games Carts For An AMSTRAD GX4000. Preferably UK Games ?


Anon in Finland at 19:17:49 Friday March 21 2003
It is PPC640... i need new system disk... my e-mail is: hopeakalaweb@hotmail.com


Anon in Finland at 18:20:28 Friday March 21 2003
I have problem with my PPC512... I´w just cleared that disk... where can i find system files?


Garand in I live in France at 09:30:59 Friday March 21 2003
hello, I need to know if PC1512DD is PC compatible and if a program written for this model of Amstrad should be installed on a knew PC computer ? Maybe you can tell me where I should find official technical answer for this. Thanks for your help.


Ian in In the UK at 14:04:01 Saturday March 15 2003
Anybody know of a source and the part number of the drive belts for the Amstrad PC1512/1640 5.25 disk drives? They are marked 702.


David Parkes in Nottingham at 13:17:26 Saturday March 15 2003
Does anyone know where I can find the official dimensions for the drive belt for a 3" drive.


Ramz in Scotland at 04:08:56 Tuesday March 11 2003
Hey, i hve an Amstrad E-mailer plus 'COMPUTER' phone...... ny1 hve 1 as well.....? Ny1 no how to get free stuff on it cheats etc..... download ringtones into it etc.....


Francesco in Cagliari, Sardynia, Italy at 12:06:54 Sunday March 9 2003
My Amstrad ppc640 had a ram bank broken, often when I launch a program from msdos or the system is booting up, the machine returne me this error code: "Errore: memoria diffettosa ( errore di parità)" . I want to change broken ram bank, anyone can help me? I need the hardware description.


Gordon Fleming in Spokane, Washington USA at 10:33:22 Friday March 7 2003
Hi Cliff, I'm trying to find the pin configuration for the standard 3" CF-2 drive on my PCW8256. What I need is the 26 pin configuration, not the 34 pin. I have an modified 3.5" drive that's all cabled and supposedly ready to install, but I can't get it to even attempt a read. Also, the eject motor is buzzing loudly. Please drop me a line if you can be of help. Thanks, Gordon Fleming


Allan in USA at 17:47:56 Thursday March 6 2003
I was lucky enough to find an Amstrad PDA 600 in the box a month ago. However, the time spent in the box seems to have caused a reaction between the "rubberized" case and the plastic bag the 600 was in, causing the case to be sticky to the touch. A month of cleaning with alcohol, "goo gone" and others hasn't reduced it one bit. Has anyone else experienced this and possibly offer a solution?


Vitalii in Moldova at 11:44:12 Thursday March 6 2003
I need the driver for printer AMSTRAD LQ3500, plizz!!!


A.alizadeh in iran at 06:15:49 Thursday March 6 2003
hello. i want boot camputer from windows me star networks. the camputer that i want boot have not boot disks. i want it boot only from windows me lan(server). thank you.


Kraiko in Minsk, Belarus at 17:18:28 Tuesday March 4 2003
My AMSTRAD CPC 6128 is broken. Where can I do the reparation of my computer. I live in Minsk now and it's impossible for my to send any part of computer somewhere. May be you can send my a circuit plan of all the components of AMSTRAD CPC 6128.


Jodie Robinson in Oldham at 23:47:11 Sunday March 2 2003
Can anyone help me in locating the game Brian Clough's football fortunes for amstrad cpc464 to buy please Ta much


nadia in australia at 3:25:20 Saturday March 1 2003
Hi! I have an amstrad 1640 hd30 that i am about to dispose of? Is there any good reason why i should keep this computer? Can i use is for something? I know some people make techno with some old computers, are we able to do this with the amstrad? what can i use the computer for? thanks


Geoffrey Asson in Wales at 17:40:19 Friday February 28 2003
Is there any way that I can get some old floppy discs from my PCW9512 transferred to modern size floppy discs that I can use on a modern laptop?


SLAYER in New Zealand at 1:54:20 Friday February 28 2003
I have a ppc640 with no system disk i downloaded the ppc.zip file from this site but will only copy to 720 formatted floppy, can i format a double-sided 1.44mg floppy to 720 so i can copy and run the system disk. any info on this would be much appreciated.


Andrew in South Western Sydney at 10:3:7 Thursday February 27 2003
I have an Amstrad pc1640hd20 computer works very well for the time being but recently has no shutdown or park heads sequence could you or any person(s) direct me on how to obtain the software.


Aaron Corsi in Warwick at 12:7:55 Wednesday February 26 2003
Hello! I am going through an Amstrad CPC revival mode. I really want to get hold of DIZZY GAMES. My favourite would have been the original Dizzy. I used to have all of them, but getting them down from the loft i seemed to have misplaced my games. I was wondering if anybody knew where i could get hold of the games. Desperately seeking Dizzy, Aaron


Rico in USA ALL THE WAY at 4:28:50 Wednesday February 26 2003
I recently aquired an Amstrad 1640 from a person i know. Is there any way to swtich the 3.5" to drive A & the 5.25" to B. Cause I dont have any 5.25 bootdisks!! And its not as simple as switching the cables mind you.


Wally- USA in Chicago,IL -USA at 23:40:23 Tuesday February 25 2003
I recently purchased a PDA 600 at a resale shop. Its in perfect condition and appears to work and accepts input. I didn't come with an instruction manual. There is a dummy card in the slot. Where can I get the instructions and program cards


sylas in Gdansk, Poland at 9:46:23 Tuesday February 25 2003
Hello! I found my old CPC6128 yesterday and I've decided to get it back to work. Unfortunately, I have no original monitor with power supply and had to find an alternate solution. There have been no problem with monitor, I plugged the CPC to the TV set through the SCART socket. But the bigger problem was with the power supply. And I did something stupid, I think. I've connected 12V power supply unit (to the 5V socket). (This unit was not stabilized so I thought that the voltage would be about 5V after connecting CPC). Computer turned on but there was only random "mosaic" on the screen. I've turned the computer a few times and finally I got normal screen with command prompt (and the keyboard worked), but only for a few seconds. Then the computer hanged and didn't turned on again normally, only black border and white screen, no text, keyboard doesn't work... Now I found the real solution - just to use the standard PC power supply unit. But when I plug it into the CPC, nothing changed - again white screen (with the black border) on the TV... I know that I probably destroyed :((( the CPC by connecting not valid power supply, but maybe you know how to repair it? Maybe the solution is trivial...


Alex Nixon in South Scotland at 23:10:45 Monday February 24 2003
Does anyone still buy used Amstrad PCW discs? I have about 60 of them and would like to sell them if anyone wants them.


wendy simpson in Melbourne Australia at 6:38:0 Monday February 24 2003
Anyone want an Amstrad PCW8256/8512 manual (Book 1 and Book 2) plus an Amstrad 8256 WP , keyboards and printer plus startup disks? Please contact my hotmail address.


SAVN in BEDOFORDSHIRE at 23:30:52 Sunday February 23 2003
I HAVE A NC 100 NOTEPAD WICH IS WORKING FINE. IS THERE ANY WAY TO DUMP THE DOCUMENTS ONTO A DESK TOP PC, ETHER BY PRINTER INTO COM PORT ON PC OR WHAT?


luke wallwork in LONDON NEWHAM 31 FAWEN RD E13 9BL at 21:17:3 Sunday February 23 2003
hi i reasently got a amstrad ANB-386SX40 MY BATTERY IS LOW AND I DONT HAVE A CHARGER DO YOU NEED ONE OR CAN YOU CHEET BY USEING A NORMAL 6 VOLT BATTERY + WHAT AMP IS IT'S BATTERY.


Ian in UK at 22:54:54 Saturday February 22 2003
Anybody in the UK know of a fre isp that will take text onlt emails from an Amstrad PCW and Amstrad SM2400 modem?


Julian Latham in West Yorkshire at 13:34:29 Thursday February 13 2003
I have a PDA600 and would like to link to my PC. Do you know where Eden Software and serial cable can be obtained? New or S/H as long as it works.


BERNIE HOMER in ENGLAND at 22:02:38 Wednesday February 12 2003
Any idea where it is possible to get the battery cover for an AMSTRAD PD600. REGARDS BBJ


romtsjo in Ukraine at 10:57:31 Monday February 10 2003
I really need the manual in fax "Amstrad" EX-6000 AT or somethin' like this. Thanks!


Chrissie in London UK at 18:59:38 Sunday February 9 2003
i have an old Amstrad CPC 464 and am looking to buy an old game called Fruity Frank,any ideas to where i might be able to get it.Many thanks.


Alex Ingram in Scotland or Stoke depending on my mood........ at 00:43:08 Friday February 7 2003
Hello there, I recently pulled my Amstrad 1512 out of mothballs and was overjoyed to find it still works, hurrah! I was just wondering on the possibility of installing an old HDD as there doesn't seem to be any place for it on the motherboard. Also i would be interested in schematics for the system too. Finally, the floppy IDE cable seems to be attached directly to the motherboard via pins, is this the case, or has mine just welded itself to the board with age? Cheers, keep up the good work, Lex


Kay in Staffordshire at 16:24:36 Thursday February 6 2003
Hi There Wondered if anyone would have a copy manual for an Amstrad PC2000 PPC640 which I have just had given to me. Just to borrow would be fine.


Sara in Reading, Berkshire at 14:04:36 Thursday February 6 2003
I recently bought an amstrad emailer plus, and can't seem to access my hotmail from it. I can get to Yahoo and other pages, but i prefer to use hotmail really. Do you know if there is a way round this? (I had a feeling when i bought the emailer that i may not be able to use it to access hotmail, but it'd be better if i could!)


John Joyce in Worthing, England at 10:32:09 Wednesday February 5 2003
Dear all, This is my first time at this so please be patient with me. My son has very kindly given me a laptop computer for my birthday, An Amstrad NC100 (black version). I have been searching the Internet on our computer at the Legion for answers to the following but have come to an utter blank! I wish to set up email using a Freeserve disc that I have kindly been given. Aparantly this will set up an email account for me (on any computer, they said). The thing is, I have do not have a slot to place the disk so may require help from somebody in this regard, secondly, how to I connect my laptop to the phone system? - A shop sold me a PC MPA card which cost almost £70 but again I do not have the correct connectors. They asked me about my processor and memory but I really did not have a clue on how to obtain these details. I cannot presently contact my son for help as he is working (flying) in the Gulf and I do not wish to bother him. Please can anyone help me as I am wasting so much time when I could be emailing. Than you for you time. John.


Pablo Fernández Noval in Salas, Asturias, España. at 11:40:35 Saturday February 1 2003
¡Hi! Can you say me where can I to find a system disk for an Amstrad PC2086 640 K (V-1.5), many thanks for all.


Martyn in Exeter at 07:41:27 Friday January 31 2003
Hello, I have a ANB-386SX40 laptop (out of a rubbish skip), and I am wondering if there is any external power supply for it, sice I am reluctant to pay for £79 batteries every so often...


Anon in Exeter at 07:38:41 Friday January 31 2003
Hello I've just an Amstrad ANB-386sx40 laptop out of a rubbish bin, and I wondered if there was any kind of external power supply that might have originally come with it as I am extremely reluctant to pay £79 batteries for it, since it is more than the laptop would be worth...


Joye in Staffordshire, England at 22:56:38 Thursday January 30 2003
I have an e-mailer plus and was wondering if you could tell me whether the software can and will be upgraded so I can see video clips on web pages? I apologise if this is the wrong site on which to post this query, but I fell I have to ask as finding relevent about news this e-mailer that is also current is proving to be rather difficult. Many thanks.


Mrs P Davies in london SW at 18:48:53 Thursday January 30 2003
My husband (aged 82) has an amstrad (nearly as old)8512 which has gone on the blink. He has just purchased a new start up disc from Locoscript and that seems to be fine. When he puts the floppy into B nothing happens or he gets some message (I haven't seen it) that says 'no go'. Question, he needs this importantly because he still works as an accountant. He would like to take it in to somewhere as he is not handy with the innards of the beast. Is it just a case of 'yellow pages' and ring round? How do we know that they know what they are doing? Will be grateful for help. Many thanks


mathew hudson at 12:50:42 Thursday January 30 2003
i have a amstrad mega pc 386sx and the battery is wrecked do you know where i can get a cheap motherboard for it. thanx mathew hudson


Dom Robinson in Credibility Street at 19:07:46 Sunday January 26 2003
I only bought an Amstrad Emailer Plus yesterday at Staples for £50, but even after upgrading to software version 10, I can hear an echo as I'm talking on the phone to someone else. Surely that can't be intentional. Any other phone I've ever used managed to avoid that. Also, while I could see the proper Services menu before I upgraded the software, now I am presented with only two options: (1) 1471, and (2) Amserve Help, both of which only dial one number an endless amount of times so they don't work at all. Please email me direct on amstrad@dvdfever.co.uk if you can help. Thanks in advance, Dom Robinson Editor, DVDfever.co.uk


David Johnson in Kendal Cumbria UK at 23:41:51 Friday January 24 2003
Hello, I have an Amstrad 1512SD and am thinking of selling it. Would it be worth anything or should I hang on to it for a few more years. It works OK and I have some disks (Utilities & driver for Dos 3.1 and For Windows 3.1 & ADI drivers. Thanks, Dave.


hunch in england at 15:34:15 Tuesday January 21 2003
I have found a use for my VERY VERY old Amstrad Computer with 486 processor. Although very slow by todays standards, as you will appreciate, it will do the job I have in mind very nicely running a DOS database programme. The problem is - the battery is flat (or the machine thinks it is) which means every time I switch it on I get the 'battery is dead' message and have to load in the 'setup' data manually (which type of hard drive etc). This is no problem for me as I can use 'autosetup' (pressing F9 key if I remember right) which loads in most of the info required but I still have to manually type in the correct hard drive number. This however would be too troublesome for others (if not impossible as they know less than I do and expect a 'windows' screen to appear as if by magic). SO . . . . . is it possible to have a floppy disk with the required information on it inserted in the 'A' drive before I switch on. The computer (I think) reads (or tries to read) the 'A' drive first (should there be a disk in the drive) and should then proceed to load Windows (old 4.1) after it has read the 'setup' information. From there on it is 'normal' operation. I have tried a new battery (did not realise how expensive they were) but this seems not to charge up, as I still get the 'battery dead' message when I switch on. Can you advise if this 'floppy idea' is possible and if so what do I need to do ?


Anon at 23:58:28 Saturday January 18 2003
anon, try this in dos, CD WINDOWS then SETUP, try changing the mouse settings from MS Mouse to PS/2 or whatever, quit reboot and hopefully you should be ok


leslie welch in Cornwall at 19:20:30 Saturday January 18 2003
Hello I trying to purchase an Amstrad Integra Computer preferably in full original working order. I will pay cash and can collect.


Anon in Merseyside. at 00:16:09 Friday January 17 2003
hi have 2 probs on a pc 4386 first mouse on serial [port won't work loaded win 31 with no mouse. tried serial mouse but no good tried generic 1994 dos driver both as mouse.com in autoexec and mouse.sys in config. i got with my broeser mouse last month, but not the 3.1 driver. tried deleting mouse.in, no good either. wondering if its the jumper on your mouse port at front. secondly theres an installed soundcard. what make is it so i can download 3.1 drivers for it. it has joystick port and one output rca socket (1/8" jack). Lasty one of my old computers was a 486 25 sx. It had 12 mb ram. I ran w95 ver 1 on it faultlessly. It originally came with 3.1 and 4 mes of ram. In its origial setup it took far longer to install 3.1 on that than it did to install on the 4386. Has it got or was it shipped with 4 mb memory? If so will it run 95 ver 1 from floppies (I have an old pentium with 95 ver 1 installed from floppies taking up about 40 megs hd space). Any comments wiill be appreciated.


Christoph Straubel in Germany at 23:36:15 Thursday January 16 2003
Hi there. Burning issue: I recently got my grubby fingers on an old Amstrad AST386SX notebook (about 7kg). However, the power supply works, the bios beeps and that´s all the thing does right now.Upon disassembling it I didn´t see or smell scorched electronics and everything seems ok to the eye. the question now is how to find sources of information, specs and technical charts and maps of this computer, so I might be able to fix it up again. I badly want this computer up and running because I just love the design. I hope you can help.


MEMYSELF&I in BRIXTON (COME ON THEN) at 22:55:18 Thursday January 16 2003
OK. I am not usually an obnoxious person, however... after reading "Satellite"'s remarks in response to Martin Upson's question, I obviously am. I am offended by YOUR (over)reaction, Satellite... or can I call you Cliff? Actually, best not, I don't think me and you will ever become mates.... First of all, Martin presented a QUESTION, not a REACTION, so you might want to investigate the meaning of this word before using it. Secondly, for someone who is supposedly representing Alan Michael Sugar TRADing, you're not doing a very professional job. In other words, you come across as a tit. Sorry, but sometimes the truth hurts, eh? Try removing your rather swollen head from your no doubt very swollen arse before you open your obviously useless mouth, because all in all you talk offensive shite. If someone asks a QUESTION (not reaction, fuckwit) that you don't like, then ignore it rather than offering waste of space remarks. People would take you seriously if you weren't such a wanker. Would love to think of a more "literate" way of describing you, but that is the first word that springs to mind. I did have a "valid" question, but I don't think your miniscule brain cell (note: singular) would be able to handle it without turning to a computer manual. By the way SOTELLITE (ooooh I'm a shakin in my boots nowww), your comment above IS racist. End of story.


JOYCE LEWIS in NEWPORT NEWS VA at 19:00:22 Thursday January 16 2003
I BOUGHT THE MODEL PPC512/640 AT A YARD SALE BUT IT HAD NO DISKS WITH IT I HAVE NO START UP DISK OR WHAT IT NEEDS SO THAT I CAN USE IT. DOES ANYONW HAVE IT SO I CAN DOWNLOAD IT OFF THE INTERNET SO THAT I CAN USE MY COMPUTER OR GET IT RUNNING PLEASE?


Anon in shetland islands at 16:18:02 Wednesday January 15 2003
hi, where can i find system files to dowload for an amstrad ALT-286 laptop thanks


Anon in Cheltenham, UK at 12:05:49 Tuesday January 14 2003
Amstrad PPC640 Units. I will shortly have in the region of 35 of these units (all with PSU's, Carry Cases etc.) Also have some original Amstrad manuals and probably in the region of 10 faulty Amstrad units (with varying faults such as modem failure, disk drive failure etc.) The working units were actually until last week used by our large Sales Force and operated a bespoke system to connect to our Mainframe system in sending/receiving order etc. They have all recently been issued with brand new laptops and as such am really writing to see if you know of anyone who would like them. Although old, it does seem such as shame just to throw them in a skip !! regards Chris Email: chrisw@premiereproducts.co.uk


JOE in WHTEHOUSE,TX at 02:27:40 Monday January 13 2003
THE GRANDFATHER OF THE 15 YR OLD I AM GUARDIAN OF HAS ACQUIRED AND OLD AMSTRAD PC6400 HD20. WHEN I TRY TO BOOT IT UP, IT PROMPTS FOR A SYSTEM DISK AND THEN STRIKE ANY KEY. IS THERE A SYSTEM DISK FOR THIS THING THAT I CAN DOWNLOAD? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR RESPONSE AND ASSISTANCE.


G.Luigi in Italy at 11:01:17 Tuesday January 7 2003
Hello, I inherited an ALT 386 SX. The video appears to be dead, while the HD seems to boot. I suspects my grandad's memories are on the HD, so I unscrewed and tried to read the HD on a Windows machine with no success (the FAT is all gibberish). I could print the files, or save them to floppy, IF I ONLY KNEW HOW TO SEND A SIGNAL TO THE EXTERNAL MONITOR plug. I would have to type on the keyboard without seeing.


Hamed in iran at 10:35:54 Saturday January 4 2003
i need the pinout of Amstrad monitor Cables


sid in berkshire at 15:23:05 Friday January 3 2003
CAN YOU PLEASE ADVICE ME WHERE I CAN GET SYSTEM DISK FOR AMSTRAD PC2086/30 .THSNKS


Jacob in Australia at 01:51:31 Friday January 3 2003
Hello. I've recently picked up an old Amstrad ALT-286 laptop in seemingly perfect working order. I turn it on and can access the BIOS, so no problems there, however, after it gets past the ram check, it just stops at a black screen with the words "AMSTRAD ALT-286" in the top left hand corner. The floppy disk drive appears to work fine, so is there a boot disk that I can use? Regards, Jacob


Alvin Cohodas in pennsylvania at 04:02:38 Monday December 23 2002
I have 3 complete ppc640 with power supply and carrying cases that will not boot. It may be the controller or disk drive trouble. I have a copy of the maintance instructions. Does anybody have a use for them or suggestions for an easy fix.


Angus in Sydney, Australia at 12:23:56 Wednesday December 18 2002
Hi guys, Cliff, maybe you should assign some sort of an administrator who takes out all the useless garbage questions :) Finally tracked myself down a 5.25" drive and got my PC1640 up and running with the amstrad 1640 disks.. except I can't remember how to install GEM onto it? Thanks guys, Keep up the good work Cliff :)


Anon at 00:22:24 Wednesday December 18 2002
amstrad means Alan Michael Sugar TRADing


chris at 11:49:28 Tuesday December 17 2002
where did the name amstrad come from
Oscar Cutanda in Torrevieja - Spain at 20:37:43 Tuesday December 10 2002
Hi: My CTM-644 broke down last week. Do you know were to get schematics on the board and component list? Thanks a lot, Oscar


Jacob in Roslindale, ma at 19:26:02 Sunday December 8 2002
(1) what command line to copy all the files from the floppy diskette to c:\data directory if I'm currently in the c:\dos directory? (2) what is the syntax to make a new directory called data on the c:\drive?


Tim at 09:51:16 Friday December 6 2002
How do I get access to the cmos battery of an ALT-386SX? Can anyone help Thanks.


John H at 19:18:40 Wednesday December 4 2002
Tim, you can get new cmos batteries, from www.battery.co.uk


Anon in earth at 19:12:35 Wednesday December 4 2002
tracey try ebay, you will find tonnes of stuff.


Tracey in UK at 20:32:54 Tuesday December 3 2002
Hi, i have an Amstrad CPC 464 and loads of the Dizzy Egg games the only problem is that i can only get so far, does anyone know of any sites where i could get some help with this as my little brother wants to play on it but he can't as we're so stuck. Any help appreciated!


simon page in birmingham (england) at 19:45:46 Monday December 2 2002
sotellite! oops sorry! seriously i have an amstrad pcw16 but unfortunatly its out of action due to a fatal error on the hard drive, It keeps asking for a rescue disc but i dont have one any suggestions? hopefully yours simon page


Dave in USA at 20:34:34 Saturday November 30 2002
Well, the only idiot seems to be the one who can not spell 'satellite'! Where did you go to school, Moron High? Or did you not get that far?


Tim at 14:55:21 Friday November 29 2002
I have an ALT 386SX the date always go back to April 1983 when the power is turned off. Can I and if so change the motherboard battry backup. Thanks


Judith in Canterbury, Kent at 14:21:38 Friday November 29 2002
My Mum has an Amstrad and one of the disks has stopped working. It has a lot of work on it which must be retrieved. How can the data be recovered please? If it's technical, I would be grateful if you could point us in the direction of someone local to us in Kent who may be able to help. Hope you can help and thank you.


Angus in Australia at 12:33:27 Wednesday November 27 2002
Thanks john, yeah I know what you mean.. didn't think of that actually :) I just realised the guy thats selling the amstrad is actually selling a 2086/30.. does anyone know what specs is this? I had a brief google look.. saw roughly a 12.5mhz 286 with 30meg hdd?


John Hayward in Portsmouth UK at 22:36:42 Tuesday November 26 2002
Angus, it might be possible to a CD drive in an Amstrad 2286, but its awkward as the machine is an ancient 286 system from 1988 era and the hard disk uses the MFM or RLL interface and not IDE, where as your typical CD drive on a PC connects to the IDE port, besides this there is no where physically the CD drive can be mounted in the machine with its odd shaped case. hope this makes sense, tell me if you dont understand this. :o) a fair number of DOS games (do a google search for "old DOS games" and stuff written before 1992 should work ok. my cousin had an old 2086 which had one of the first Sound Blaster cards in and some old games like Lemmings and Prince of Persia ran great on it.


Angus in Australia at 23:42:12 Monday November 25 2002
I finally tracked down a PC1640HD20 in australia woohoo! and am about to get a Amstrad 2286.. My friend had an Amstrad 2286 ages ago and I was wondering whether you could let me know whether it is possible to attach a CD drive to it? From my knowledge it game with only two bays a 3.5" High Density drive and a 40Meg HDD?


David Herriott in Grimsby at 15:20:15 Thursday November 21 2002
I am trying to find a replacement FDD for an Amstrad ALT286/386 FX. Please could u help me.


Django in Greece at 16:30:53 Saturday November 16 2002
I have a CT644-2 monitor and I would like to know if I can connect it on my pc (db15) and use it as a normal monitor. If yes what is the pinout of the din6 adapter that I have to use ?
Cliff answers: Not a hope. Apart from anything else remember that the max res of a CPC was 640x400 - it could not resolve any more vertically and modern PCs use 800x600 or 1024x768 so there's no way the monitor could show 600 or 768 lines


Gus Reid in Hampshire at 10:07:52 Friday November 15 2002
Just to note that the http://web.ukonline.co.uk/members/cliff.lawson/files/1512cct.zip link on your files page 404s. I guess this is the file that would have the pinout diagram?
Cliff answers: That link was broken because UKOnline crashed at one point and lost my only copy so I've removed the link.


Gus Reid in Hampshire, but the question's for a mate in Rwanda :) at 09:59:47 Friday November 15 2002
On the off chance that you're still reading this board after all the garbage. I'm looking for the pinout diagram for the daisy wheel printer that came with the Amstrad PCW9512. I've had no luck searching on Google, but got your name from John King who runs http://www.pcwking.freeserve.co.uk/ Thanks, Gus. PS, remove "nospam." from my email address to mail me.
Cliff answers: Answered by email - pinout is proprietary and while shown in the service manual (no longer available) there's no hope of attaching this printer to anything else.


Dan Macdonald in Surrey - England at 15:26:46 Wednesday November 13 2002
Where or how can i read from the old CF2 compact disc loaded with 'loco script'and get it transferred on to conventional 'floppy' in 'microsft word' Regards
Cliff answers: Go to www.locoscript.com - they offer a transfer service.


Never mind at 22:24:59 Saturday November 2 2002
Erm.. well your either dead, or you've abandoned this page (probably because of all the rubbish people have been posting from reading the above, but do you think it would be possible if I were to send a sensible Amstrad question viae-mail you might answer it? I've tried once before but I got no reply - although you'll have to reply to this on this message board...
Cliff answers: Reports of my death may be a slight exaggeration but you're right I gave up answering this board because of lack of time but mainly because of all these fuck-wits ruining it for everyone else.


Jed Stuart in Mullumbimby, NSW , Australia at 04:35:16 Saturday November 2 2002
Hello, Excuse me if this is a stupid question. I have a ppc 640 that I am trying to get organised for a friend. I lost the system disk, so have downloaded ppcdisks.zip. I have unpacked as per instructions but when I try to exe a file I just get a lot of garbage symbols. It is probably something really obvious. I am using a UK keyboard. Is that the problem? thanks, Jed Stuart
Cliff answers: Should work - I'll check the download but maybe your disks are corrupt?


Miguel Ángel madrigal in Spain at 19:53:25 Monday October 28 2002
I would like know where i can get Amstrad CPC 464 100% new. Thanks and regards.
Cliff answers: Nowehere that I know of as they haven't been made since about 1988 - FOURTEEN years agao!


Robert Auchter in Washington DC, USA at 19:47:04 Thursday October 17 2002
What does the motherboard of an Amstrad PC 4386SX look like?
Cliff answers: It's square with lots of black, rectangular, spikey things that have lots of "legs"


brian in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England at 22:24:37 Wednesday October 16 2002
I have a PC 2086 complete with monitor, keyboard and disks for Operating System Start up & Utilities v 3.3, Windows and Lotus Symphony. Any use to anyone ?


Anon in Dundee at 14:41:04 Wednesday October 16 2002
Having always wanted a 6128plus (I had an original 464), I recently found one at a carboot sale. I'm trying to load my old CPC games from tape but having a few problems. I've connected a tape deck to the 6128plus using a standard speccy tape lead from the tape deck's Ear to the 3.5mm jack on the left side of the 6128plus (just beside the joystick ports). Then, using |tape and run" I start the tape. I can hear the loading noises but it doesn't pick up any of the programs. I've tried it at lots of different volumes but no joy...Am I doing this all wrong? Any help appreciated, thanks very much! Mike
Cliff answers: Nope sounds right but remember that tapes deteriorate after a few years and any dating from the "hey-day" of the CPC (mid 80's) are probably unreadable by now.


Ian in Herefordshire at 20:52:13 Saturday October 12 2002
How can I get info form the 6128's disk on a 3.5 without sending them to a specialist. Has anyone replaced the 3in with 3.5in. could may PC control a 3inch
Cliff answers: It used to be done all the time in the "Good Old Days", Evesham used to sell add-on 3.5" drives but your best hope now would be to read the FAQ for news:comp.sys.amstrad.8bit or post a question on there


charlie wolf in Spain at 2:17:30 Saturday October 12 2002
My Amstrad 5286 floppy unit has broken and I need to replace it. I got lots of floppy units but they all got 36 pin conectors & the cable's got a 26 pin connector. Can you help me fix it?
Cliff answers: Sadly I think that may have been a "low profile" floppy and is on longer available so it may be time for a replacement PC (which you can probably get these days for less than the cost of replacing the drive anyway!)


Doug... Again in the dirty factory still... at 21:56:28 Tuesday October 8 2002
Cliff... You can run software to let ya know, from wich IP, and even MAC address that posts are made from... This can be a powerful tool in "getting them back"... I gather if you ever get to reading this that you'll be a little pissy by time you get here... I do wish the stupid fuk's that made a mess of the posting forum, had not done so... Give 'em hell!! and Good Luck...
Cliff answers: To tell you the truth I simply can't be arsed!


Doug Sluiter in In a dirty factory, in Grand Rapids, MI U.S.A. at 21:16:53 Tuesday October 8 2002
sotellite ;) I have an Amstrad pc 2286/40... I do NOT have a keyboard for it... I do how ever have several keyboards, and the correct 5 pin connector. Could you be of any assistance with keyboard connector pinouts, and will my standard 101key key boards work... if pinned out correctly??? Thanx Doug S.
Cliff answers: Nope we only switched to industry standard PS/2 keyboards from the 4xxx onwards, 1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx all used our weird and wonderful proprietary interface (to avoid IBM patent infringement) so you do need to track down an Amstrad keyboard for it I'm afraid.


Connie Bryson in Edmonton, Canada at 1:54:1 Monday October 7 2002
I have a PPC640 that I haven't used for years, but now my daughther would like to play around with it. It appears that I never kept the system disk(s?) to make the thing go. I looked in your download section, but I don't see anything for the 640...or can I use the download for the 1640?
Cliff answers: You need the file called PPCDISKS.ZIP


John Adams in N.W. London, England at 22:56:47 Wednesday October 2 2002
I have just received CP/M and Locoscript 2 on 3" floppy disks Can I copy them to 3.1/2" disks and will they work in an Amstrad PCW 9256 with a 3.1/2" drive? Many thanks.


Aitor in Basque country at 7:14:32 Wednesday October 2 2002
I have a amstrad alt 386SX. I am looking for the electric and electronic map. where can I get information


Gloria Zwicker in Nova Scotia , Canada at 18:44:57 Tuesday October 1 2002
I have the cd microsoft word 2000 sr-1 downloaded on my computer, When i go to use it, It wants my 25 character cd key code. i lost it and want to know if you can get another one or some how find my losts one.


richard sum in notts at 18:24:44 Friday September 27 2002
I have been given a alt 386sx portable. The problem is it was working and I loaded up windows but when I ran ms works the machine froze and now when I restart the machine stops after the memory test(it goes through twice then stops). Any ideas? Thanks


Serge Humpich in Somewhere inside the Milky Way at 17:21:32 Wednesday September 25 2002
I have an Amstrad Computer, since a long time: it's now an old one. Could I connect a dish to it ? Please answer me, I really like to watch TV. And I don't want to buy a demod. Thanks to all, and long live to this forum !!


Jarid in Virginia at 18:44:44 Tuesday September 24 2002
A lady called me about an PC1512sd Amstrad computer. She is needing a keyboard and mouse. I told her that I had a Ibm mouse and keyboard that might fit it. The keyboard and mouse are Ps-2. Will this work?


John Adams in N.W. London UK. at 0:9:30 Tuesday September 24 2002
I have an Amstrad PCW 9256 word processor. I want to know is the floppy drive 3" or 3.5". Thank you.


Godfrey Tarling in Tanzania, East Africa at 16:39:16 Monday September 23 2002
Dear Cliff We are a mission based medical clinic with an old Amstrad PC 2086/30 desktop, but sadly the system disk has been lost. Do you know how we can obtain a copy please? Thank you!


Lovey in Canada at 17:10:34 Friday September 13 2002
Have recently obtained old Amstrad PC1640HD20 - Looking for any instruction manuals, etc. Thanks


JOANNE THOMPSON in ENGLAND at 13:27:36 Wednesday September 11 2002
I HAVE AN AMSTRAD ALT-386-SX LAPTOP AND I NEED TO PUT WINDOWS IN IT. WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD THE SOFTWARE? HELP HELP HELP!


Alojz in Slask at 14:9:3 Tuesday September 10 2002
Hi!!! I need scheme for Schneider CPC 6128 computer. If someone have that scheme please contact me.


Jase in Ayrshire, UK at 13:27:34 Tuesday September 10 2002
I have an ANB-386-SX40 and it needs a new hard disk due to a 1782 disk controller failure. The bios doesnt seem to support anything over 150mb, are there any updates to this bios? Failing that, i would be willing to part with this laptop for £30 for spares or repairs, it is a working model with power adapter, good screen, floppy and 1mb ram. The case is broken around the left hand screen hinge.


M. Voerman in The Netherlands at 15:23:56 Tuesday September 3 2002
Looking for PDA600 software, so far I found Penfriend (PC), games1 and games2 (image for sram card). And ofcourse the software from Cliff. Still looking for the eden software and a cheap source for sram cards....


claude in england/birmingham at 17:13:50 Wednesday August 28 2002
i have an amstrad cpc 464 i am putting it up for sale but i have no idea as to how much it is worth or where to sell it can u please help ? it comes complete with 1 joystick 128 games with instructions and boxes also a module mp/1 also the instruction manual look forward to hearing from you claude


Heather in 22 Sunnybank Ave, Stockport, Cheshire, UK . 0161-431 4996 anytime. at 13:34:31 Tuesday August 27 2002
Please help? Unknown person has left us (was thrown out) an Amstrad ALT 286 laptop computer. I know it uses DOS, but cannot get into the program which says, (when switch on): HIMEM DOS XMS Driver 2.77 date: 02.27.91 version 2. Microsoft. Installed A20 handler 1, 64K high memory is available. Then says 'code page not prepared' C:\> If type 'dir' whole list appears starting: Volume in drive C is MS-DOS 5. Volume Serial No.is 1A48-698C Directory of C:\ then a long list, but cannot get beyond this, a relative gave it a try, who knows more DOS than I do, but still could not get anywhere, saying 'bad command or file name' Can anyone help, - with instructions or TAKE this old laptop OFF MY HANDS? ANYONE CAN HAVE IT! Seems a shame to take it to the tip! PLEASE HELP.


dan cohn-sherbok in london at 15:1:55 Monday August 26 2002
How does one transfer files from a nc100 to a nc200


Anon in Exeter, devon, United Kingdom. at 12:30:34 Monday August 26 2002
hi, i have a amstrad pc1640dd with a 32 meg hard disc and i have the system discs, but how do i install them onto the hard disc to make the hard disc bootable into gem desktop.?


Pedro Díaz Ruiz in Asturias, Spain at 23:45:52 Sunday August 25 2002
I have two questions: 1-Can i add a external 3 1/2" drive to my Amstrad 1640?. It has already two 5 1/4" DD drives. 2-Can i use diskettes formatted in a high density 5 /14 " unit with 2m or fdformat (820 Kb)? Do you know if my 5 1/4" DD unit could read those diskettes? Thanks very much


Stephen in Liverpool UK at 19:51:0 Monday August 19 2002
Hello I have an Integra (Bought from New £1440) which is stuck on the BIOS. I have tried to get to the set-up menu to chenge the start-up but it asks for a password, which when tried any number it sais invalid. I tried to set the jumper at JP6 , took it out and put it back , as the manual suggests, to reset the CMOS which might allow me to change the password etc then a:/ to the boot disk but this never happens.Any suggestions??? I am desparate


Anon in Liverpool UK at 19:43:1 Monday August 19 2002
Hello , I have an Amstrad Integra which I think I have damaged? I deleted some files whilst engaged in other activities!!!!and when switched on goes to the BIOS. I cant get out of the BIOS . I have tried to get to the set-up but it asks for a PIN CODE which I dont or ever had( I bought from new £1440) I took out and put back the jumper JP6(thinking I could read the manual) to reset the C-MOS but that never reset anything or did anything . Any advice ?


RAFA£ in polska at 18:15:50 Sunday August 18 2002
czy do Amstrada model nr:ANB-386SX20 mo¿na zamontowaæ hard disk 10 GB


Mark Plimmer in Live in UK, but work in OMAN at 16:47:58 Saturday August 17 2002
Looking for a Motherboard/Mainboard for, or a scrap, FX6000AT Fax/Tel/Ans Machine with intact motherboard. Help me save the planet by not having to throw it away!


errol in Australia at 6:11:43 Sunday August 11 2002
I collect old computers as a hobby. Have a few older types, the oldest is a T/I t199/4 a and a few 286,386 and 486. Problem is my lovely old PC1512 Amstrad no longer lights up, as in it runs ok but nothing appears on the monitor. ( power supply in the monitor) Hate to see old computers sit idle. I would be vert greatful for any suggestions. BTW, I must congratulate on your unique way of attracting interest to your site. Do you know a good orthodontist. regards errol lynch


Michael in Berlin at 9:44:22 Saturday August 10 2002
Hello ! If someone is interessted in buying an Amstrad Portable PPC512/640 (with Manual) you can write me an email including the price you would pay. Michael from Berlin


Phil in Peterborough at 22:8:7 Thursday August 8 2002
My son "won" an Amstrad ANB-386SX40 at a charity fair. When switched on there is a single bleep the power light and the left hand led of the pair on the left hand side of the base unit is lit. There is no display at all not even a glimmer. On the bottom of the case on the left hand side there is a cover which when removed reveals a battery and two socketed IC's. The larger of the two sockets is empty, could this be the problem? The battery shows a green and amber (charging? led). Would be grateful for any help. Cheers


Christine in East End London at 16:9:34 Tuesday August 6 2002
I've got an amstrad lq 3500 printer. Is there any way I can get it to print from paint shop pro 5 ? It's already set up to print from word, windows '95 and that is fine. Christine


Anon at 13:32:18 Monday August 5 2002
meryl, the rubber belt inside the disc drive has worn and needs replacement. contact Brian Watson for a cheap replacement. brian AT spheroid . demon . co. uk


Meryl in UK at 23:41:49 Sunday August 4 2002
I have an Amstrad CPC6128. When I enter Run "disc" the message 'Drive A: disc missing' appears, even though the disc is inserted. I have tried swapping keyboards, and unfortunately the same thing happens. Please can you help!


steve in Manchester at 22:12:11 Friday August 2 2002
Hi, I seem to have an NC100 that may have a duff serial port.I can't get it to connect to my PC. Is there a chance that using a power supply rather than batteries would make a difference. Is there a way to transfer files via the parallel port? I've heared of LapCat but it is no longer available. Regards Steve


hammel in france at 18:6:27 Friday August 2 2002
i have a problem with the 3 1/2 lector, what to do for a new one ? excuse me , i'am french ! So long soon


Bart Leclee in Belgium at 18:3:49 Friday August 2 2002
Amstrad PPC512. Is there a external power supply, what are the specifications, how to connect?


kev at 16:22:35 Friday August 2 2002
for information about loading software on a CPC visit this webpage and look in the documents section: http://andercheran.aiind.upv.es/~amstrad/


Hannah in UK at 12:16:45 Monday July 29 2002
Ok I haven't used my Amstrad Notepad NC100 comp 4 ages and now it won't turn on I have tried using the asaptor and replacing the batteries. It turns on but the screens just flickers in dark green sgwiggles apear on the screen. I really need to use this in the next week but I would like to know straight away. P.S Does the pc need to have the lithium replaced before it works!?


kaos in New Zealand at 7:4:32 Saturday July 27 2002
Hi...just brought two cpc6128 computers. Been years since I used one and can't remember how to load the floppy .....please help...Thanks


Sanja in Germany at 21:4:36 Friday July 26 2002
I need a driver for Printer LD 6000. Can you help?


asteroid at 17:38:52 Friday July 26 2002
the CPC464 must have a monitor or an external box which contains power supply and TV adapter, otherwise you need the original green screen or colour monitor to make it work.


ailric in manchester at 12:33:20 Tuesday July 23 2002
how do i get a cpc 464 to work


Barry Cross in kent at 17:59:31 Sunday July 21 2002
hello, i deperatly need to buy an amstrad cpc 6128 do u know wher i can buy one from at all new or second hand just quote a price please email me at Barry_Cross@yahoo.com with any info thanks


Chris Wathen at 23:35:40 Thursday July 18 2002
>three times and then goes blank. I tried using a Windows98 >Bootable disk in either 1.44 diskette drives and nothing. >I was hoping that maybe someone had advice on what to look They aren't 1.44MB drives, they're 720K drives. You need to use double density diskettes in them (if you don't have any then cover over the right hand hole on a high density disk and format it as a 720K disk - you don't need the tape to use it in DD drives, but you do if you want to read it in an HD drive, or are formatting it in an HD drive). That's the first point. The second is that Windows 95/98/ME startup disks will not boot on anything less than a 386. Get yourself an MS-DOS boot disk (you can get disk images all over the internet) and then you'll be able to start it. Better still, IIRC, this site actually has downloadable images of the original bootdisk for the PPC.


Anon at 22:16:40 Wednesday July 17 2002
the amstrad MM mono monitor is CGA it will NOT work as a VGA monitor!! give it to Mik to stupid dickhead below, who still thinks this is a satelite page along with the others.


Aneirin in Lancaster, England at 19:14:0 Tuesday July 16 2002
I have just mailed ref: Gonzalo in Spain at 14:23:48 Thursday July 19 2001, to see if he ever managed to convert his original PC-DD monitor input to a 15 pin (RS232?) D-connector. If you have the relevant pin layouts to hand could you please mail them to me as I would like to do the same. Incidentally, I should be able to use this with my linux box should'nt I..? (..obviously not for X..) Thank-you for your assistance in this matter, Aneirin (P.S. Had I a S***LLITE R**EIVER, it would be used to prop up a leg on my dining room table, for a short while prior to it's demise as a sea-anchor)


Deborah in north east at 14:29:28 Wednesday July 10 2002
I have acquired an amstrad FX8400 fax machine. Unfortunately it's all in german and I took french at school. Can I get instructions for it anywhere?


Anon at 19:2:27 Monday July 8 2002
there is no hard disk in an PCW8256/8512 just destroy the disks if you are worried about someone looking at your files.


Anon in east Sussex at 10:39:28 Monday July 8 2002
We have an old pcw8256/8512.i want to throw it.I have only ever used the locoscript word processing and not the pc part 1Does it have anything remotely like a hard disk with a copy of what I have typed or can I scrap it without wiping it 2 Is it likely to be of any use to anyone before I scrap it


Beth in Spokane, Washington at 23:42:11 Sunday July 7 2002
I had an Amstrad PCW 8256 (personal computer/word processor/printer) which I always used for word processing...writing letters while I was in England). It was an American version (110 power) and was lost in a fire in my home, along with countless other items. I need to find a replacement cost for buying each item new...and in this case would need an idea of what would be considered a comparable new replacement. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


Anon in Battle East Sussex at 18:15:6 Sunday July 7 2002
I have a PCW8256/8512.I want to ditch it. 1 Is there anything that is remotely like a hard drive that i should delete first or is everything on the disks? 2 does anyone want an old amstrad for spare parts or anything rather than throw it?If so where should I send it?Irene Dibben


cathy in Australia at 3:48:25 Sunday July 7 2002
Hi, I have searched and searched and cannot find the answer: Does anyone know if the Amstrad Integra takes standard PCI cards, e.g. a USB card (I am trying to upgrade my father's PC but he is in France so I can't open the box myself).


david in stuttgart - germany at 19:9:4 Saturday July 6 2002
a few days ago i got a nice old laptop: a amstrad anb - 386 sx. unfortunately without the system disc with the dos-operating system und the drivers. i would be very happy, if someone could help me with this files. thanks a lot in advance david köpf


JOhn Hayward in Portsmouth UK at 5:45:27 Saturday July 6 2002
you can quickly get rid of a bootsector virus on the PC by typing FDISK /MBR I think :) this erases the boot sector, its ages since ive done this, so back up your import files to floppy first (and check them on a modern machine with anti virus software)


Thomas in Germany at 1:32:8 Friday July 5 2002
I have an old amstrad alt-386sx and he has an Virus. The Virus was the parity boot virus. I have kill the Virus on the notebook.(with f-prot) Now the Notebook bootet from floopy and not from the hard-disk. I have no description to the Notebook. What for a funktion-key I must press to come to the Bios ??


Karl SEITZ in Perth,Western Australia at 17:13:41 Wednesday July 3 2002
I have an Amstrad 5286 whose power-supply keeps dying after 10 minutes or so.Where can I get a circuit-diagram so that I know what I'm looking at?


ayman in Egypt at 23:30:52 Monday July 1 2002
I have a motorola modem and i lost its defination card .how can i get its defination again if I don't know it


Anon in Accrington UK at 21:37:37 Monday July 1 2002
I've just been given an Amstrad PC1512 SD with Word Perfect on 5 1/2" Floppys. Everything seems to be OK except for the comma on the keyboard. Should I try stripping the keyboard down and cleaning it or is there an easier solution that I'm missing? alienSCOT


john hayward at 8:53:42 Monday July 1 2002
rare amstrad GX4000 console for sale, maybe the only british made games console?? starts at £1, in beautiful gleaming condition, but needs power supply and TV cable, to fill a hole in your collection of Amstrad systems.


Anon at 8:48:27 Monday July 1 2002
bad time/clock try lifting up the monitor and pop some new batteries in :o)


Jimmy in Australia at 6:37:35 Monday July 1 2002
Hi People. I have an old Amstrad 386sx laptop which was working fine until one day i got myself a boot sector virus. The only way I could get rid of the virus was to take out the hdd, hook it up to my pc and reset up the hard drive partions. I formatted using a win98 boot disk but did not sys the hard drive. I then coppied all the old data back onto the hard drive, including dos6 which was on the hard drive before. Now, my problem is since I have done that I can't get the floppy disk to work. It says it's enabled in the bios but when I go to dos and type setup it says the floppy controller is disabled and there is no option to enable it. Does anyone know how to re-enable the floppy disk controller for the Amstrad 386sx laptops? Could the virus have corrupted the dos command that is controlling the floppy disk drive (if it's being controlled by dos that is), or is it more likely that my floppy disk is damaged?


Joseph Wildash in England at 22:21:26 Saturday June 29 2002
What am I meant to do when my computer displays the message 'Error: Faulty real time clock'???


Joseph Wildash in Dorset (England) at 21:26:46 Saturday June 29 2002
My very old Amstrad computer (640kb!!!) keeps on showing me the message 'Error: Faulty real time clock' What the hell does this mean and how can I fix it? I would be extremely grateful if you could tell me. Thanks!


Helen Wakelen in Scarborough at 16:13:26 Friday June 28 2002
My father has an Amstrad PCW9512. Has a problem when printing in that all the letters are not printing, however it is not always the same letter Is this likely to be a daisy wheel / hammer problem and where can he buy replacement products or get it fixed. He lives in Scarborough Regards helen


Terry in New Brunswick, Canada at 5:36:33 Monday June 24 2002
I just picked up an Amstrad Personal Laptop, model PPC640D. It powers up, comes up with "Please Wait", beeps three times and then goes blank. I tried using a Windows98 Bootable disk in either 1.44 diskette drives and nothing. I was hoping that maybe someone had advice on what to look for, what is possibly might be or even a link to a partial manual or technical manual. Thanks for the help ... Terry


Tina Pittman in North Carolina U.S.A at 20:50:31 Sunday June 16 2002
Hi, Someone gave my nephews a Amstrad 3386 but it doesn't have a mouse with it. I had an old e machine mouse I gave them to try and they wasn't sure where it connects into the back of the computer .I don't think the one I gave them will work.Could you tell me what kind will work and where it connects to the back of the computer. Thank You Tina


Al Bell in Aberaeron, Wales at 19:57:45 Sunday June 16 2002
I was just wondering how you load games on to these emulators, and how to find downloadable copies (preferably free) of the Star Wars Trilogy (originally for CPC464) and Ghostbusters. Any information would be really handy


DAN IN ENGLAND in ENGLAND at 11:39:26 Sunday June 16 2002
i have a amstrad po3086 and evry time i turn it on the screen is just full of pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppps could you tell me what s wrong with it


Anon in EN-GER-LAND at 11:34:38 Friday June 14 2002
Ive been told the Integra was also made by Zenith as a rebadged machine. Did Amstrad design it or did they clone Zenith's design??


kev in suprise at all the stupid sotellite people who ask all the dumb questions on a AMSTRAD COMPUTER QUESTIONS board at 9:0:56 Friday June 14 2002
toni, I don't think it is Elite. Maybe it is something like "Enterprise"? In Elite you couldn't choose crew members.


John Hayward in kill the satelitte people at 8:49:28 Thursday June 13 2002
Toni - Sounds like Elite??


toni in Southern NSW, Australia at 7:19:35 Thursday June 13 2002
I played a great game on my Amstrad - it was about getting from A to B in space, using robotoids to repair machinery, giving the option to choose crew members. I am hopeful that you will know the name of this game, so I can research a little further. The disc has long gone, hope yoou can help. Thank you, Toni (no S word!)


mohammad in GLASGOW at 10:52:34 Tuesday June 11 2002
I have reciver Amestrad model DRX100 and my recver have problem and i things the tuner of reciver have problem becouse the reciver is on and the software sky is download and correct but when he test signal reciver no get signal . it,s possibel help me which shopping better than for repair my recciver and howmuch mony needs for repair this


Amir in IRAN at 19:47:12 Friday June 7 2002
hi.I want to know all information about RGB jack in PC-CM monitor (nomber of pin's and wire color's).tanks


Deger in HUNGARY at 21:8:16 Thursday June 6 2002
Need a basic manual book (my first Scnheider CPC 6128)!! Please - if you can - send me an link or file !! THNX!!


Leslie Welch in Cornwall at 19:40:28 Thursday June 6 2002
Wanting to purchase an Amstrad Integra computer


Hans Roofthooft in Belgium at 21:21:33 Tuesday June 4 2002
i just bought a second hand Amstrad P120. I formatted the HD and installed Win98 but I'm missing the pci communication device ( SYM 536416?). Can anybody help me please?


David Griggs in Manchester,England at 12:54:42 Saturday June 1 2002
Hi,I'm after information on the Amstrad?? MC0061B Hard disc controller. I need pin outs for the connections to the drive and information on the connections to the motherboard. This for an idiotic/foolish/clever (delete where applicable) attemt to connect a hard drive to a CPC. Strweth,what am I thinking,Amstrad made it hard enough to connect ordinary 3.5" drives. I must be a masochist.


Anon in nuke the satelite people at 23:33:27 Friday May 31 2002
Did Amstrad ever sponsor a football team I know Alan Sugar owned Spurs once Seems a lot of computer companies, Commodore, Compaq, AST, HP etc I have


John Hayward in kill all people with satelitte recievers at 20:49:59 Friday May 31 2002
james, the mega pc is a hybrid 386 pc and sega megadrive it wont play cpc games go and get the emulator, there several different ones so try and see which is best for you, there are loads of emulation sites which should have one. you can download CPC games from www.aceroms.com if I remember correctly.


James Jarvis in Essex (UK) at 16:39:16 Friday May 31 2002
I have a AMSTRAD CPC 464 The Green screen one... anyway i have over 200 boxed and cased TAPE games and as my amtrad is getting old and is not really working and it would look a little silly sitting next to my Dreamcast and my PC is there a way that I could play my Amstrad games on my PC by TAPE?? i hear there are programs called emulators and you are only allow to download the games (ROMS) if you have them and I think I have almost every GOOD Amstrad games there was is there a good Amstrad Emulators out there that work????????? also is there a PC like Amstrad Mega PC 7386 SX that could play AMSTRAD TAPE GAMES??


John H in ENG-ER-LAND!!! at 0:0:14 Friday May 31 2002
How good is internet access on the new Amstrad emailer pluses? I know some of the set top boxes from Bush etc are pretty rubbish and can easily be hacked to use other internet providers. I know Amstrad are selling the emailers at a loss in exchange for a contract to paying for using their ISP only, it would seem risky that they could be hacked possibly by someone with the right knowledge?? I call on everyone from the UK to please flame on the complete ****wits from the middle east, so we can back to normal discussion thankyou.


John Hayward in Portsmouth UK, not bloody Cairo. at 13:52:51 Thursday May 30 2002
ok, Does any one wish to have their Amstrad 3" drives fixed at a reasonable price? Ive putting new belts on some drives for CPC and PCW machines and Spectrum +3, and selling them on ebay, You ship your 3" drive to me with no physical damage or parts missing, and I will fit a drive belt for you for £10. You also pay shipping both directions. Ive got many Amstrads working nicely again recently, so try me!! If ANYONE asks me questions about sotellite stuff I will send you a bomb :o)


Cliff Lawson in TOTAL DISBELIEF at 10:40:54 Thursday May 30 2002

ARE YOU PEOPLE FUCKING ILLITERATE??? The box into which you typed your question about sotellite recievers clearly says that this message board is about AMSTRAD COMPUTERS and I made (what, at the time, I thought was just an idle threat) that I'd arrange for you to be spammed if you were stupid enough to leave your email addresses. But you didn't listen did you?

aatefsg@hotmail.com
ali_migren@yahoo.com
hovakhshat@yahoo.com
kolkasa@yahoo.com
www.ramywadie77@homail.com
selmsmary@yahoo.com
etc.

I'm now going to use one of my fake email addresses to post a message into 20 random rec.??? newsgroups just listing your email addresses. Then the spambots that scan the newsgroups will pick up your email addresses and you will be deluged in crap - which is sweet because that's what you're doing to my message board.


Lee Ho in Melbourne Australia at 1:22:51 Thursday May 30 2002
I have a slave hard disk and my win 2000 sometimes can not detect it?? Do you think there is the problem with the hard drive??


Miikko Santala in Finland at 19:50:52 Monday May 27 2002
I whan't system disk quickly, how I can get it I need it fast! Answer to me fast!


Anon at 19:39:24 Monday May 27 2002
do you understand the word a-m-s-t-r-a-d c-o-m-p-u-t-e-r


jovan in Macedonia at 20:9:18 Thursday May 23 2002
I have a amstrad pc3086 can anyone tell me where to find system disks. Thanks!


Anon at 21:2:26 Wednesday May 22 2002
Cliff maybe you could add a filter to get rid of the total Dick heads who cant read, so any thing about Hyoumaxes and Eyouroboxes wont appear. scuse my French but Im annoyed as you are. Is the URL for this site been mistakenly put on a sotellite website/search engine or something??


Kev Thacker in Sheffield at 16:1:41 Wednesday May 22 2002
Martin, I think you can use almost any dot matrix printer as long as it has a centronics connector. The printer's which have a serial connection will not work. You will also need a lead. This converts from the CPC's edge connector to a centronics plug. One of the wires in the lead will also need to be disconnected otherwise the printer could insert extra blank lines between the lines that are printed. Kev


Martin Ellis in England at 13:0:28 Wednesday May 22 2002
Which Dot Matrix Printers are compatible with the Amstrad CPC464 ? I know the original one was a DMP2160 but haven't been able to find one s/hand yet. My computer dates back to 1984 but I couldn't afford a printer then! Will any Dot Matrix printer work or do I need a special type, or adapter ?


elena in Spain at 21:45:29 Monday May 20 2002
I need a programme on a floppy to operate an old PPC 512. When working, a few years ago, it used wordperfect and wordstar. Any ideas where I can get a copy on a floppy for the PPC512? Many thanks for any help. Elena


norman fowler in humberside at 13:29:46 Sunday May 19 2002
sorry last post for mega p\c 386sx put wrong e-mail address


norman fowler in humberside at 12:5:41 Sunday May 19 2002
I am looking for the sequince to enter the bios on a mega pc 386sx. want to change some settings thanks


robin in portsmouth at 11:54:57 Sunday May 19 2002
is an alt 386 worth anything


robin in portsmouth at 11:51:50 Sunday May 19 2002
I recently picked up an alt 386 laptop from the dump do you know anything about it or is itt worth anything?


Anon at 18:52:20 Saturday May 18 2002


Sharon Barnes in Didsbury,Manchester at 17:34:21 Saturday May 18 2002
Please Tell me if there is a place in "England" that sell's 1Mb memory cards for the Notepad NC100 and how much they cost? Thank you.


Julio in Madrid (Spain) at 18:59:41 Friday May 17 2002
Dear cliff. how could i use the floppy pot of Amstrad CPC 646 with a standart floppy of PC?. CPC 646 build-in a Hardware Floppy controller?.


John Joe Healy in Sligo Ireland at 17:5:0 Wednesday May 15 2002
I Have an Amstrad laptop computer ALT-3865X the problem is i am unable to veiw the screen it seems to boot up ok "floppy runs and the hard drive but all i get is a blue screen I have tried to connect to a monitor but with out a screen to see the bios set up it is impossible could it be the video card that is causing the problem If you or any one has any idears or information could they please email me at the address provided in antisepation john!!!!


agius in malta at 16:18:19 Monday May 13 2002
how i am going to get pcw10 working.i do not have a floppy disc with a program


sam997 in poland at 20:48:28 Monday May 6 2002
hello! i am a starting PC-MAN my friend give me amstrad monitor PCCM i wanted to connect them to my PC (486dx4 120MHz with vga card) i wanted to ask: it is possible to connect it? if it is, please send me a description thank you


ali etemadi at 1:11:30 Friday May 3 2002
hi, what is code for fax model fx 6000AT. thanks


f.williams in CUMBRIA UNITED KINDOM at 21:40:57 Monday April 29 2002
i need a power adaptor, floppy disks and a sytem disk for the amstrad 512/640 can anyone help.


John Hayward in PORTSMOUTH - UK at 12:10:36 Saturday April 27 2002
I have a new message board for fixing, repairing and restoring collectable computers. Please visit: http://freespace.virgin.net/asteroid.76/vintagecomputerlab/


Dan at 12:30:22 Wednesday April 24 2002
if someone asked you what are the operating principles of the Amstrad PPC640 what things would you list down and could you send me, (through e-mail), some infomation on these things. Thanx!


Jason Hinde in Glasgow Scotland at 14:36:14 Friday April 19 2002
Where can I purchase a keyboard for the following Amstrad model : PC5286SD. This woud also have to incorporate a mouse connection. The pc has only one serial connection and one printer port. Also I would be very greatful if you could give me any information atall on this particular model ie specifications. Thankyou, Jason


A.R.Raminfar in Iran at 5:47:5 Thursday April 18 2002
Hi-I want to know all information about RGB jack in PC-CM monitor (Input signals & number of pin's).Tanks a lot.


Metzga. in Germany at 14:26:24 Tuesday April 16 2002
I got a PDA 600. But i lost the manual. Please tell how to erase adresses from the memory... HEELP!!!! Greez, Metzga.


Heike in Germany at 18:3:10 Monday April 15 2002
I love to have the new Amstrad e-mailer plus. Why it is not possible to sell it to Germany??? Is there any other way to get it ? Who can help??? Regards, Heike


Gary Watson in Bradford at 20:36:45 Tuesday April 9 2002
Cliff, I've got an Amstrad PPC640. When I turn it on it says "Check Batteries" and then Check Keyboard". Any idea what the keyboard problem might be? Gary


Cedric Papon in Center of France at 23:9:22 Monday April 8 2002
Do you know which frequencies a CPC6128+ color monitor can accept ? I mean do you think using this type of screen, you can get some screen size like 320x200 pixels in 256 colors. With other systems using the CPC monitor as a TV monitor (RGB + CSync) of course. Thanks for your answer.


Peter in Worcester at 19:42:38 Sunday April 7 2002
Help! and please excuse my total ignorance. A friend has asked me if he can run an HP laserjet 5L on his 1640, under ms-dos. Now in his eyes I'm supposed to be the computer "expert", and I hate to disillusion the man, but I really have no idea - and having the memory of a senile goldfish I have little hope of recalling the early days of pcs. I'd really appreciate some help...... many thanks Peter


dr. H.S.Abramovtish in aberdeen at 18:12:4 Sunday April 7 2002
can my computer be connected to the internet through asotellite receiver without the use of telephone line


ginge at 13:45:45 Friday April 5 2002
my amstrad pc 9555i does not recognise the cd-rom that is attached to it.what do i do. it is a creative 220E cd


phil mckean in wirral at 14:35:8 Wednesday April 3 2002
i have a mega pc 7386 sx. i have formated the hard drive and tried to install dos 6.2. when i boot the computer i get a message " none system disk" . instead i installed the original amstrad dos 5.0 disks. this worked. the problem is that when i run the windows 3.11 setup programme it keeps giving me an error message error #214. it says that setup cannot open or create the file commdlg.dll. can you think of any reason why it wont accept dos 6.2 or install windows 3.11. thanks for your time.


Victoria Ablett in Basildon,Essex at 21:48:46 Saturday March 30 2002
Could you help me find drivers for an Amstrad modem MC2400 as I have been given a modem to try to put in my son's first computer please.


dimis in athens greece at 16:35:45 Friday March 29 2002
is there any chance to find any fractal-type (or similar, like a screensaver) graphic for 1512dd?


Alvaro in Australia at 13:59:2 Thursday March 28 2002
hi i got an amstrad alt-286 and like i know heaps about windows 98/95 and all that, and especially around DOS! but i would like to fix this computer, i load it and it says hard disk read failed press F1 to retry and F2 to go to setup! i mean i got my hard disk on type 2 but i can't even do anything at all after i do that, i reboot and try everything and always get the same message! is there at least a start up disk to this computer or something and what operating system does it need???? please help, and thank you!!!


Robert m. in Beds at 8:24:37 Wednesday March 27 2002
sorry!!! i forgot to put my e-mail in. this is for the question about system disks and a: drive not working posted by me 2 days ago.


John Hayward in Portsmouth UK at 18:50:51 Tuesday March 26 2002
Robert in Beds, you didnt leave your email address! your CPC6128 has a broken disk drive, I could fix your Amstrad 3" drive for £10 plus postage Ive fixed quite a few CPC and PCW machines.


Rivaldo in liverpool at 15:51:55 Tuesday March 26 2002
i read through previous questions about someone trying to connect a n64 to the cpc464 monitor.that cant be done,but i remember reading in a magazine advert when i was younger, about a lead that allows the connection of a sega megadrive to the monitor.can you confirm this and how i might be able to get hold of this lead.regards.


David in canada at 18:44:4 Monday March 25 2002
i own a amstrad ppc512 computer, and i was wondering is there any way to hook the lcd panel to a normal computer? thanks


Robert m. in Beds at 15:0:44 Monday March 25 2002
hello. can any one help me with my probs??? 1. my amstrad cpc6128 (little disk drive) does not detect drive A. even when there is a disk in it. 2. i have an amstrad pc2286 and it doesnt do anything but say 'please insert a system disk then press any key' and i dont know what to do PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me thankyou rob


simon in australia at 13:12:44 Saturday March 23 2002
Hi all. i have a amstrad PC4386SX and would like to use it but i dont have the keyboard or mouse. can someone please tell me the pin outs of the keyboard and mouse connector so i can wire up a standed keyboard and mouse.. Thanks


baalaji in cbe at 6:5:53 Saturday March 23 2002
i installed WindowsXP.my monitor is flickering.model is samsung samtron 45Bn.why is it so?


shahin in IRAN at 13:16:25 Thursday March 21 2002
Hi , I am shahin,I want to know all frequencis (transponders) of hotbird,nilesat and telstar12 sattelites thanks bye.


Kevin Thacker in Sheffield, UK at 10:52:1 Thursday March 21 2002
kurtis in melbourne, you can buy Amstrad CPC's on Ebay. www.ebay.au is your local site. An alternative is to look in a car-boot sale (garage sale, flea market) etc.


Kevin Thacker in Sheffield, UK at 10:50:18 Thursday March 21 2002
Joy Abdilla, The machine is the E-Mailer, and you should be able to buy it from Argos, Index and some other catalogue shops as well as from high street electrical stores like Dixons and Comet.


Joy Abdilla in Slough Berkshire SL3 8DD at 20:52:37 Tuesday March 19 2002
Recently Amstrad has advertised a machine which can e.mail, send txt messages and internet access. The price is £99.99 but they dont state where you can buy it from. Can you help please


damaschin nicolae in romania macin county tulcea zip 8885 at 18:11:47 Tuesday March 19 2002
how to use amstrad tfx 500 personal facsimile + digital answer


kurtis in melbourne, vic at 10:0:45 Tuesday March 19 2002
I'm after an amstrad cpc464/6128 with games etc... can you help>>?????


John in England at 14:42:2 Sunday March 17 2002
Ian in England: If you have LocoScript 2.5 or later then you can reverse the colours by putting this file: http://www.seasip.demon.co.uk/Cpm/software/rv.fid on your startup disc. For earlier versions, you need to use a hex editor on the EMS / EMT file (not fun).


James Okedi in Kampala, Uganda at 7:18:49 Thursday March 14 2002
I have an Amstrad PPC640 laptop. At which website may I find the Operating System software and a simple word processor that I may use with this machine?


fathi in libya at 7:47:7 Sunday March 10 2002
how to operate amstrad reciever drx100 from the front panel buttons


Steven Whinnery in London at 0:26:9 Friday March 8 2002
Recently found a Amstrad Laptop computer Alt-286. It starts up ok but on the screen it has C>MOUSE bad command or file name MS-Dos version 3.30 C:\> What's do you have to type in afterward for it to work. I presume that the system softwear is already installed. Sorry if this seems a thick question, but I'm used to an apple mac, and haven't come accross this problem before. What do you type? Thanks


Sandi White in Taunton, UK at 19:35:28 Wednesday March 6 2002
My sister-in-law has got an Amstrad Integra, windows 95. Her son managed to wipe most of the files off the memory and she now only has about half of the windows options available. I have tried to re-install windows but couldn't as she doesn't have a start-up disk. The computer isn't recognising the internal modem either. Please can you shed some light as to where she might be able to purchase a startup disk. I have looked at the CPC site and it doesn't have a catalogue available. Thanks in advance.


Robert Zammit in Malta at 10:34:44 Tuesday March 5 2002
I have an old Amstrad CPC-6128 computer which i haven't used for a very long time. I would like to know if there is any way I could convert/modify its monitor to be used as a TV monitor? Thank You.


ZIK at 10:31:53 Tuesday March 5 2002
where cani get drivers for sound card for amstrad CPC6


Celine at 11:11:50 Saturday March 2 2002
quelles sont les touches de jeu dans Sorcery + svp. Je ne me souviens plus


andrew carter in havant at 12:0:19 Monday February 25 2002
is there a instruction manual on a alt 286 on the internet


Pedro in Asturias, Spain at 11:14:19 Friday February 22 2002
There is any possibility of changing the Amstrad PC 1640 BIOS so it accept a 3'5 (720Kb) unit disk in drive A?


File Trasfers in West Midlands, England at 10:33:19 Friday February 22 2002
If anyone has an Amstrad computer or in fact any old computer that has a 5 1/4" drive and needs to get the data from it to 3 1/2" discs so that it can be used on a newer PC then I can do this for a small charge to cover the postage and discs. Please contact me if you need more information about this service.


Justin Smith in UK at 0:20:34 Thursday February 21 2002
My father in law still uses his PC 1640 for his lotus database. I am starting to loose sleep waiting for the day it just doesn't turn back on. He has a very nice new PC but how do I get the huge datafile from the 1640 to the PC ?


integra recevier in egy at 0:30:44 Sunday February 17 2002
software for integra recevier


sebsibe in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia at 20:45:56 Friday February 15 2002
i went Ms-Dos 6.22 softwer,where i get this OS to dowenlod from the web frelly? can you find to me this OS? if it is possibel send to me the website address. Thank you. seb


Jan Eriksson in Sweden at 12:52:16 Friday February 15 2002
i wonder were you buy boot disk to Amstrad PC1512DD or get any programs


ian in England at 0:29:3 Friday February 15 2002
Amstrad PCWs Is it possible to change the start-up codes for LocoScript to permanently reverse the screen colours? If yes, how?


robert cowley in altrincham, manchester at 9:39:11 Tuesday February 12 2002
has anybody got any idea where i can get hold of an amstard dd1 disk drive? thanks


Fax FX6000AT in Germany at 15:43:11 Monday February 11 2002
Has anybody the manual to the amstrad FX6000AT in german?


Mike Leonard in Scotland at 16:41:6 Saturday February 9 2002
I have disks with data from an Amstrad PPC512. I would like to access the data and transfwer it to a windows enviroment but windows does not recognise the disks. Can anyone offer me any advice? Regards Mike


Hany Magdi in Cairo - Egypt at 8:42:42 Saturday February 9 2002
Dear Sir, I have a digital sattelite reciever "Tecnostar D 9000" and i want to upgrade the software. Please tell me how can i find this software on the web.


Lyle Empson in Gananoque, Ontario, Canada at 18:52:11 Tuesday February 5 2002
Hello, Came across your site while browsing and was wondering if you could help me out with something. A friend of mine gave me an old Amstrad Computer, Model PC 1512 DD with an Amstrad Monitor, Model PC-CM which had been stored away for who knows how long. However, the Keyboard was missing and he didn't know what happened to it. I know it works, because when I plug it in, I get the message that the keyboard is not connected. I would like to get this interesting old computer working but have not been able to find a keyboard for it. I have several standard IBM type keyboards and would like to know if one of these could be converted to work with the Amstrad computer, or better still, is there a place where the original keyboards can still be purchased? I am located in Ontario Canada as you can probably tell. Thanks for taking the time and best regards Lyle


schipper in PO box 349 , 2501 CH Den Haag , Holland at 17:11:36 Tuesday February 5 2002
i'm looking for an operation manual for my Amstrad FX6000AT fax machine. Can you help me by sending one?


Anon in 9 rona av port glasgow inverclyde scotland at 2:46:47 Tuesday February 5 2002
hi ave just got an old amstrad pc model2086/30.the problem am having after getting new boot up disc for it is that i cant get it passed dir.stops at56 files 45056 bytes free.then underneath that it says a> and thats it could u tell me how to get this old machine up running from here plss?thanks u can email me at jim_will_fix_it2001@yahoo.com thanks jim..


Anon in islamabad at 16:26:18 Monday February 4 2002


Elen Evans in Machynlleth, Wales at 21:32:47 Saturday February 2 2002
oops, I forgot to put my e-mail address! I have a PCW9512 and have the start of day disc, but I do not know how to boot up the word processor. Could anyone help me please.


Elen Evans in Machynlleth, Wales at 21:26:46 Saturday February 2 2002
I have a PCW9512 and have the start of day disc, but I do not know how to boot up the word processor. Could anyone help me please.


Stephan Jung in Germany at 16:53:19 Friday February 1 2002
Hello, I´m searching for software for pda600. Most known links are to old and down, also wiedmann in germany. But I know, that some progs on sramCards exist (penmail, pencalc, games and others) Where I can get them today (also as binary files per mail)? And where I can get the amstrad software development kit for the penpad? Yours sincerly Jung


John Perger in Czech repuplic at 22:13:26 Thursday January 31 2002
First sorry my englisch. Help my, i have PPC512 and need anny technical document's from this hardware. How to connect HDD , add RAM , setting build in BIOS ... wery match thankyou for all help


Anna in Berlin at 13:20:17 Thursday January 31 2002
I have problem with the floppy drive of an amstrad 386SX. I can not read any disk nor can I copy anything on a floppy disk. What can I do?


do you people make dss satilite cards at 23:9:2 Wednesday January 30 2002


Amy in London at 15:44:14 Tuesday January 29 2002
Hi there, I have an Amstrad CPC 464 and a ZX80 both in full working order. How much are they worth and where could I sell them? I have loads of games for the Amstrad aswell! Thanks!


hollie in cheshire at 17:41:28 Monday January 28 2002
is there still a way of playing the old 'chucky egg' game without having the old amstrad computer?????


amy in england uk at 11:47:20 Friday January 25 2002
dear sir i would like to know what a exspansion card in a computer does and what it involves?can you please help me find alot of information on exspansion cards


shi at 16:20:40 Thursday January 24 2002
Cliff - most of your information is good and wonderful but the following could be updated: Elliam Associates has an answering machine on their phone, which does take a message, but they apparently have no people to call back. also... Dave's Disk Doctor is out or business (see website). Thanks for your help shi


Gregory Claude in Norfolk VA. at 20:43:6 Saturday January 19 2002
I have a amstrad PC6400sd/ what PC can I buy that is up to date and will fit my montor


Neil at 19:57:26 Saturday January 19 2002
Can i still buy amstrad CPC464 games. If so, where?


Phil Dunford in London England at 10:16:51 Friday January 18 2002
Is there any information anywhere about how you can interface a 'modern' 3 1/2" 1.44m floppy drive to an old Amstrad 1512 / 1640? Any info appreciated..


Adam Maye in N. Ireland at 23:9:8 Saturday January 12 2002
In response to one or two questions you've received; Amstrad MP3 TV Modulators are on sale at Trading Post - I've just seen it priced at £25.00 on their CPC pricelist. I have one myself in fact, excellent job if my monitor jack wasn't ripped asunder from its cable. Any help regarding the repair of this is welcome.


k mitchell in uk at 15:26:55 Friday January 11 2002
I am looking for a start up programe on disck for a amstrad 256k personal computer wordprocessor 8256


Mike in Norfolk at 13:1:48 Tuesday January 8 2002
Can you tell me if Amstrads are used anymore. I have one at home and I was wondering if anyone wants it?


nicolas L in le havre at 12:29:4 Monday January 7 2002
I'm looking for an interface cpc6128 ---> iDE to connect a hd thanks


Anon in London at 20:15:41 Saturday January 5 2002
Can one translate Logoscript text into a Macintosh format?


JOSEPH EDWIN in BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO CANADA JAN. 3, 2002 at 17:44:2 Wednesday January 2 2002
THE ICONS ON THE SCREEN ALL WORKED WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THIS (NEW) COMPUTER, BUT NOW FOR SOME REASON, I HAVE TO GO TO THE START UP MENU WHERE NOT ALL THE QUICK CONNECT ICONS ARE DISPLAYED! THE ONES ON THE SCREEN JUST HIGHLIGHT AND BLINK AND I GO NOWHERE. I CANNOT ACCESS THEM LIKE THIS?


john dennison in Grimsby, NE Lincolnshire at 19:55:18 Tuesday January 1 2002
A friend has an Amstrad PCW9512 with Locoscript, but no printer. I have supplied an old Citizen 120D printer, but can find no way of getting the Amstrad PCW to accept it. It looks as though it should accept alternative printers (locoscript uses expressions such as 'default printer'), but I can find no option for such an installation. If a printer driver required, please advise where I can obtain one. Many thanks. John Dennison


Brian Richards in Southampton at 19:37:20 Tuesday January 1 2002
A friend has just been forced into buying a new PC to replace his old Amstrad. How can he convert his Locoscript files into something which can be read and saved in MS Word?


Alan Williams in SusHIroTstreet at 4:4:47 Tuesday January 1 2002
Yo. I have got an old amstrad computer which has an OPen monitor driver which has started to fizzle when it is activated. Can you help??


John Lewis in Fakenham Norfolk at 14:18:49 Saturday December 29 2001
I have an ALT 386 and the floppy drive has gone on the blink, can the data cable be converted to suit a bog standard drive. John L


Darren Pickett in Greenwell Point, NSW , Australia at 23:17:11 Monday December 24 2001
I have recently acquired an AMSTRAD PCC640. I was wondering where I might be able to find downloadable "SETUP DISK" files on the internet for it. I have just read that ANY DOS programs work for SETUP DISKS, but wonder if my parents' 'super-duper' DELL system disc is going to the job. Can you help?


Anon in West Sussex, UK at 20:46:6 Wednesday December 19 2001
Got an Amstrad PC2086/30 Anyone know how to get data off the HDD and floppies onto my 21st century PC!? Cheers Mats matclarke@onetel.net.uk


Anon at 20:10:37 Wednesday December 19 2001
it possible to convert 3 inch 720k


Ray in Somerset at 21:0:18 Monday December 17 2001
Hi, I have an Amstrad 3386sx and have a problem using the Mouse port InPort. I have been using the serial port with an adaptor for use with a mouse. I now want to use the port on the front of the system unit. I have a male to male adaptor so that I can plug in the mouse, but I cannot make it work. Do I need an "amstrad mouse" or will it work with any serial mouse? I would appreciate if someone could give me a step by step guide. I am using the original windows 3.1 that came with the machine, I also have the original set up disk in both 5.25 and 3.5 floppy versions. Hope someone can help Thanks Ray


mark in australia at 4:41:21 Sunday December 16 2001
I have found an old amstrad with a file that I would like to transfer for use to a new pc .Any handy hints for those of us down here in Sydney would be greatly appreciated .


shadi in iran at 10:37:55 Friday December 14 2001
"what is plc in camputer subjec and how shoud find a book about plc?"


Bernward Oelbe in Germany at 22:28:45 Thursday December 13 2001
How can I access the BIOS-Setup in an Amstrad ALT286 Laptop? I have got an ALT286 without any documentation and software. Thanks in advance. Bernward


Julie Terry in High Wycombe at 17:31:43 Tuesday December 11 2001
We at Staples have a customer who is looking for a keyboard for an Amstrad PC 1640. I've contacted CPC who aren't able to help, but wondered if anyone out there has an old one they don't need. We really don't like letting customers down! Many thanks. Julie


steve in Telford at 17:10:26 Monday December 10 2001
Hi,Ive got a mate with a pc 2086/30 8mhz and we cant work out how to run a disk please can you help???


alf in españa at 12:45:4 Sunday December 9 2001
tengo un AMSTRAD cpc6128 y tengo muchos juegos en cinta que no puedo pasar a disco. Al tener la cabecera en codigo maquina siempre me pide lo mismo que al poner /tape, press play and then any key y no puedo hacer que los lea del disco. ¿alguien sabe como hacerlo?


carrie in west midlands at 18:36:51 Saturday December 8 2001
Can you please tell me where to buy or download a manual for my Amstrad Pen Pad 600, thanks Carrie


Anon in West Midlands UK at 18:32:57 Saturday December 8 2001
Can you please help I am trying to find a manual to buy or download for an AMSTRAD PEN PAD 600, I do hope that you can help. Thanks a lot Carrie


Derek Garnett in Spain at 17:55:54 Saturday December 8 2001
can you fit aDVD or cd-rom drive the PC 3386sx and what is the total amount of Ram that can be fitted. cheers Derek


Sue in Byron Bay Australia at 8:16:29 Friday December 7 2001
I have an Amstrad FX6000AT but don't have a manuel...Is there some way of getting one, or down loading one from the net? Thanks


jana vishvajit in surat (gujrat- india) at 13:39:38 Thursday November 29 2001
dear sir. i have zx spectrum+3.communly 128kb floppy is not avelable now in india, so i want convert my FDD in cassatte drive.if that in posibale, then pese give me diagram and guidens also


andy andrews in Waltham,nr Grimsby at 19:49:48 Wednesday November 28 2001
my daughter has amstrad 256k word processor.we have the disks available,we have no manual, we insert disk one but all we get is a green screen,nothing else! can anyone suggest anything that will get us started. cheers andy


axis in Spain at 17:57:49 Saturday November 24 2001
Hi all! I have an Amstrad ALT-286 and it works fine with 1Mb of memory, but if I put 4mb of memory, the bios doesn't recognize it, it only detect the first megabyte. My question is: Can amstrad alt-286 bios manage more than 1Mb? Thanks in advance!


carlos valdez in panama at 17:40:12 Thursday November 22 2001
need an adapter to conect a portable pc hd drive to a desktop ide hd driver


alan in Perth at 11:26:43 Thursday November 22 2001
Can someone help with an Amstrad ppc 640. The problem is that the LCD screen wont work has anyone got any idea as to what the problem can be. Any help would be appreciated. Thankyou


aroniadis kostas in greece macedonia at 20:12:58 Wednesday November 21 2001
hello from greece my question is that ihave problems with my drive i didnt use my cpc very much but my drive do not read anything that was my first question secont question is this how can i conect a 3,5 drive in my cpc


Gabriele Galleani in Italy at 14:2:30 Sunday November 18 2001
I've an Amstrad PC4386SX. The power supply is broken. Where can I find another? I've just ask it to SD Microsystems, and they told me to contact Cliff Lawson. Thanks.


Barry Morgan in South Wales at 13:6:9 Sunday November 18 2001
I recently acquired a 386 Amstrad portable but with only 2MB Ram (640k + 1408k). I have a friend of a relative who may be needing it for word processing work, but do you know what kind of ram this machine would take and how much of it can I put in. I would also appreciate any advice you could give me as to taking it apart, Mr. Barry Morgan.


Steven Bain in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdon at 15:26:30 Saturday November 17 2001
I have recently aquired a copy of an Amstrad emulator for my PC (back to the "good-old days" - GREAT! (Playing 64k games on a £800 PC.....never mind.....) The FTP-site link on this page is great - I've found EVERY old game I was looking for - EXCEPT ONE! Does anyone have (or can anyone convert) "SOCCER BOSS" into the compatible ".dsk" file required? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE can someone e-mail me with help? Thanks everyone!


ilir halili in kosova prishtina at 0:59:46 Saturday November 17 2001
Help for schneider PC 7640 setup and i thing that a need to download it??


Druifje in The Netherlands at 14:39:56 Thursday November 15 2001
I use an Amstrad Indexphone IX1000, but i am looking for a indexlink. (PC cable).


Rick Burdick in Mkt Harborough, Leics / Leicester ( work ) at 18:15:9 Tuesday November 13 2001
I would like to sell my old Amstrad PCW9512 complete with printer ( though possibly armature has broken ) , keyboard, lots of discs and accessories, including User Instructions, all in original boxes ! Anyone interested ? If so , make an offer and it's yours ! ( Sorry... hit ENTER a few times... )


Michael in your Living Room at 20:13:56 Monday November 12 2001
I got an AMSTRAD PPC512. Nice thing, really. But since yesterday my FDD B: is not working correctly anymore. After loading the MS-DOS 3.3 in drive A:, I can switch to B:, but I can't load any program with it ("Drive is not ready (I)gnore, (T)ry again" etc. occurs). I have tried it with different Discs even the Boot Disc from drive A:. I hope somebody can help me. regards Michael


Alberto Ferreira in Detroit at 0:37:40 Wednesday November 7 2001
Where can i go to get a cmos boot disk to enter into cmos in a 486dx IBM computer? I tryed there web site but noting.


Roy at 19:31:55 Tuesday November 6 2001
AMstrad NC200, I use the Basic and keep getting a message saying that there are too many files open, I can see the directories bit not open or save files in the WP or in Basic. I finish up resetting, any ides?


Sergei Zhukovich in Belarus at 20:14:6 Monday November 5 2001
Hi! I need help! Yesterday I have changed batteries in my PDA600. And now I don't see my data in address book. Diary working very slowly (every page is opening about 1 minute). Graphic notes are OK. Gauges shows "memory 0% free" (it was about 50% free before). Address book shows letter "a" with no info on it and doesn't go to another letter. I have deleted all graphic information and usual events. But it still shows "0% free". All I want is to restore important addresses and telephone numbers from address book. Is it possible? How can I do it? Thank you!


rick in leicestershire at 13:50:9 Friday November 2 2001
does anyone want my amstrad???


rick burdick in leicestershire at 13:43:5 Friday November 2 2001
i have an amstrad to sell - does anyone want it?


Alan Curry in Comber Co Down at 20:56:38 Thursday November 1 2001
I have a 9486 with 210MB hd and sx33 processor. I have a cd rom drive & a 2.1 GB hd I would like to fit. What should I watch out for and can I do anything about the sx33 processor. Also if I were to consider changing the motherboard have you any suggestions on a new type?


Ian Anderson in Near Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland UK at 23:17:46 Monday October 29 2001
Can you please tell me where I can find a buyer for a fully functioning Amstrad PCW8256 with masses of literature and new floppys


Andrew Quarrie in Dulverton, Somerset. ENGLAND. at 23:11:50 Monday October 29 2001
Hi Cliff, we have corresponded before many years back. I still have an old Amstrad Mega PC that is fully functioning. Please can you tell me if the BIOS on these machines is 'flashable' ? If so where would I get an upgraded bios. Many thanks. Andy Quarrie.


easy in germany at 21:48:23 Monday October 29 2001
hi and hello, my qestion: what does i have to press on my keyboard when i want to look at my bios. i have a Schneider-PC1512DD


Leslie in Cornwall at 15:27:17 Saturday October 27 2001
I Want to buy an integra anybody have one for sale please


Zouhaier in TUNISIA at 13:20:44 Friday October 26 2001
setup for amstrad 2286/40 ??? Thank you


Rusi in Bulgaria at 19:3:45 Wednesday October 24 2001
Hallo I want to know something more about AMSTRAD 6128plus. Can I add a HDD 20Mb to it and where (ports ... )? I'm wondering can I get the scheme of this computer?


Rusi in Bulgaria at 19:0:40 Wednesday October 24 2001
Hallo I want to know something more about AMSTRAD 6128plus. Can I add a HDD 20Mb to it and where (ports ... )? I'm wondering can I get the scheme of this computer?


Paul Campbell in Liverpool uk at 9:38:6 Sunday October 21 2001
I have come across an Amstrad pc 1512 sd with dmp 3000 printer and pcmm monochrome monitor. Can anyone tell me about this pc and if it can be upgraded / is there a tech. manual available etc. Thanks.


roger hilton in wirral at 8:2:28 Sunday October 21 2001
i have an amstrad word processor 9256 & have since purchased an ibm compatable pc can anyone tell me how to transfer the work on my 9256 floppys to my new pc.


roger hilton in wirral at 8:2:27 Sunday October 21 2001
i have an amstrad word processor 9256 & have since purchased an ibm compatable pc can anyone tell me how to transfer the work on my 9256 floppys to my new pc.


Ian Shaw in Australia at 6:11:40 Sunday October 21 2001
I DID STOP. THEN I WENT BACK & REREAD WHAT YOU SAID ON PRINTER DRIVERS. You said " with the notable exception of the DMP1." So, having read what you said, & not being all that clued up on computers, will you please tell me if the DMP1 is compatible with Windows 98 & which driver to use. While I am waiting for your reply I will have another look at the web site & follow the links again but for the life of me I can't find a straight answer so far. Hope you can provide one. Ian


christopher triance in brisbane AUSTRALIA at 12:47:2 Friday October 19 2001
i have just brought an amstrad ALT386 laptop for my wife it is second hand and we need to know where we can buy an instruction manual for it also a battery if you reply thank you if you don`t well you know what to do AH!!


Keith Russell in Plymouth at 20:14:22 Wednesday October 17 2001
I have been given an PPC 640 but with no AC adapter. I'm doomed to use endless supplies of batteries unless someone can help by telling me the input requirements and polarity of the DC jack socket in the back of the computer. Thanks.


alex in France at 10:24:52 Monday October 15 2001
I don't know how to use a CPC6128. When i start it, i've got a blue screen with yellow words, then what ??? Could you explain it to me, please. Thank you.


tony alber in egypt at 21:24:2 Sunday October 14 2001
i have signal d-box9800 digita reciver i want to down load it`s softwar what sit can do this


marwa in CAIRO at 20:9:16 Sunday October 14 2001
WHAT CAN I DO IF I FORGOT MY PASSWORD ?


Predrag from belgrade, Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Yugoslavia at 21:23:7 Friday October 12 2001
Could you give me setup parameters for AMSTRAD PC 4386SX ( SETUP VERSION 1.1) When I start my Amstrad pc 4386Sx I got message : 640 Kb of Base memory 3456 Kb of Extended Memory 64 Kb of Cache mamory Hard disc not ready What I have to do ? please send me a mail !!!


Claire Potter in London at 17:51:37 Wednesday October 10 2001
Hi I have an Amstrad GX4000 and have Burning Rubber the game that came with it what were the other games that they made for it?? Also on the Amstrad PCW8256 There was this game I think called The Pawn it was a aroleplay type adventure and totally amazing I never completed and want to know where I can get hold of a copy of it?? Or if they made any new versions of the game?


Uwe in Germany at 16:59:30 Monday October 8 2001
Hi, I got an old Amstrad 1512 without the system software. I downloaded the software from this page, but have no chance to copy it to the old type of floppies. Who can sell me a system floppy for my old amstrad 1512d ? Thanx Uwe


Dunric in USA at 9:21:52 Monday October 8 2001
Porting game to Amstrad? Hello, For those interested, I have been working feverishly to produce a version of Westfront PC: The Trials of Guilder for the following platforms: Apple II/IIe Commodore 64/128 Atari 400/800 Sinclair MSX CP/M 2.2 and above Commodore Amiga DEC Rainbow Acorn Palm IIIc Amstrad Atari ST Apple Macintosh TI 99/4A Since the game itself is already ported to MS-DOS and Windows-compatible computers, playing it shouldn't be all that difficult: http://www.geocities.com/dunric/westfront.html (or an alternative link to) http://members.tripod.com/~panks/westfront.html I believe this game is possible to port to any of the platforms listed above, although each version would have to be suited to the individual system's capabilities. Since the game was coded in a flavor of BASIC, it shouldn't be too difficult to port to those systems: http://www.geocities.com/dunric/wftrans.html I have tried using UBASIC, PowerBASIC, ByWater BASIC, Chip Munk BASIC, GFA BASIC, and a host of other interpreters/compilers but few seem to handle the game in even the MS-DOS size. Therefore, I am calling upon all programmers proficient enough in the BASIC or C language that are willing to port a version of the Trials of Guilder for their specific systems to write me at: dunric@yahoo.com The reward is nothing more or less than a playable version of the game on whatever system it is attempted to be ported to. The best method I can think of is to write the data files for the game to disk and to keep variables and arrays to a bare minimum. Verbs can be cut down to a minimum of 14-18, depending on the system. Nouns in the game...well...use your imagination. :) If there are fifteen different swords and shield and helmets, that's probably too much. So to aid in the translation efforts, I have compiled a "bare bones" list of the items and monsters available in a "minimal" version of Westfront PC: The Trials of Guilder. Here's the list: VERBS ----- GO,GET,WIELD,UNWIELD,WEAR,REMOVE,DROP,KILL (or ATTACK),BUY,SELL,PUT,READ,EXAMINE LIGHT,USE,EAT,DRINK,INVENTORY,LOOK,CLIMB,SCORE,SAVE,QUIT (23 or so verbs) ITEMS ----- BAG LANTERN FUEL ROPE GRAPPLER (a grappling hook) NOVEL SCROLL KEY IRONKEY HELMET BOOTS FORCEBOOTS SHIELD ARMOR CLOAK ROBE RING CHAINMAIL SHROUD OF SAINT NEPHAN DISC OF ATHENS GLISTENING ANKLET ORB OF TRUTH SPELLBOOK KNIFE DAGGER SWORD LONGSWORD BROADSWORD SLAYER HOLY MACE GLOWBALL SCEPTER TORCH SHOVEL MATCHES (35 or so items) MONSTERS -------- SKELETON CLERK DRUNK VILLAGER VETERAN BARTENDER FALDOR WOLF WARRIOR MONK ZOMBIE GOBLIN TROLL PALADIN WRAITH BEAR DRAGON BARBARIAN THIEF INSPECTOR FUNKYDOG JESTER SORCERER SPIDER ELF HOBBIT WIZARD GUARD1 GUARD2 GUARD3 GUARD4 NINJA SENTRY1 SENTRY2 SENTRY3 SENTRY4 CENTURION ADVENTURER SENATOR BISHOP ROLAND SOLDIER (40 or so monsters) Now for the room total. I've thought a great deal about this and I realize that the original room total of 1,728 (across 4 continents) is just way too much for most systems to handle. So I've decided a good number to try for would be between 200-300 rooms. A lot can be packed into each room, including multiple descriptors and other events. Quests: Quests are entirely optional and may be included at the whim of the programmer. It may be as simple as "Rescue the princess from the dragon" or as complex as "Destroy the evil army, save the city, and return the enchanted goblet to the city of ankahan." Let me know if this sounds like a good idea. I feel this game could be a fun experience for all involved. Regards, Paul Panks dunric@yahoo.com


Anon in Sheerness, Kent at 13:19:19 Wednesday October 3 2001
How to format disks to 750mb?


Adey in CORNWALL , ENGLAND at 9:48:38 Tuesday October 2 2001
HI. A FRIEND OF MINE(NO NOT ME) HAS JUST BOUGHT A PC2086 FROM A SECOND HAND SHOP ONLY IT DIDN`T COME WITH ANY DISKS. SHE HAS BEEN INFORMED THAT SHE NEEDS A BOOT DISK TO EVEN START THE THING UP. IS TIS RIGHT AND IF SO WOULD YOU KNOW WHERE TO GET ONE OR COULD I DOWNLOAD IT FROM SOMEWHERE. MANY THANKS ADEY


Zac in Germany at 13:46:42 Sunday September 30 2001
I´m the proud owner of an Amstrad ALT-386SX Laptop. Unfortunately I got no documentation etc. about it. I would be interested especially in information about the dip-switches and the keys to get into bios.


--= Faster X =-- in Russia at 6:25:23 Sunday September 30 2001
Hey! I bought Daewoo CPC-300E and CPC-400S, MSX2.. ..so, I want to know.. is there a way to copy data from it? and also, usual PC floppy reader, can he read media, CPC-formated? (CPC-Formated, because I took DOS formated media and input it in.. no reaction, reformated it in CPC.. turn to DOS - no reaction.. so if they read same disc types, then how do I do it? most of binary floppy readers writing errors or that it's clean! but it's not.. I copy some file to check on it.. it's a basic file, own-created.. so no copy protection is set..


NAO in U.K. at 22:5:41 Saturday September 29 2001
how to enable the browser in the amstrad e-mailer?


luzzus in Italy at 10:7:33 Saturday September 29 2001
I have a big problem! I have a AMSTRAD ALT 286. The Floppy doesn't function anymore. I tried to substitute it with another Floppy of a OLIVETTI 286. I get the message INVALID DATA CMOS INFORMATION! I don't now how to correct the problem without the Floppy. Please you to help me! Thank you


nick waterman in dulverton at 14:43:31 Wednesday September 26 2001
i just brought a Amstrad laptop anb-386sx20/40 and when i turn it on is ask for a active code page for device con os 437 code page 437 but i cant find it can u help


craig deakin in 113 gibbon road newhaven east sussex bn9 9es at 16:2:3 Sunday September 23 2001
hi my name is craig deakin and i want to know if you got any web sites on the classic game on the amstard called donkey kong i want to download it to my pc. thank you for your help mr craig deakin


CRAIG in PORTCHESTER at 15:1:3 Friday September 21 2001
WHAT WAS THE CODE NAME FOR THE PC1512


Robert in Lancaster, UK at 21:43:42 Thursday September 20 2001
I need to locate the reinstall software for an Amstrad PC7286 to enable a desktop/ system reinstall I presently have "counterpoint 2.5" Where can I find it


Koos Willem in Haarlem, The Netherlands at 20:41:33 Tuesday September 18 2001
I've got an old (duh!) Amstrad PC512SD with a monochome (CGA?) monitor attachted to the machine. The on/off button is on the monitor. Is there any way that I can connect my Color CGA montor to my PC512SD. I need the pin-out from the DIN-plug so I can make a DIN-TO-D_SUB converter.


Anon in spennymoor co. durham at 22:48:37 Sunday September 16 2001
i have a3086 and a5086 where can i get dos startup discs also can iput a 51/4 disc drive and a 49 meg ide hdd in and what do ineed thanks jack hanratty


Jim Priftis in GREECE at 10:49:32 Sunday September 16 2001
Dear Sir/Maddam, My name is Jim Priftis and i am the owner of an AMSTRAD CPC 6128 and i am facing some problems with it 1)I dont know how to run a game from the floppy disk 2)I dont know how to run a program from the floppy disk (even though i have a dozen of disks) 3)Due to all these i dont know anything about amstrad! (The pc has basic 1.1ver. and i have try some things from the MS dos like "dir","C:","D:" and the only thing that is doing something is the cls) PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. : the most important thing to me is to play street fighter from a floppy that i have ! :-))) thank you


Richard in Bristol, UK. at 16:36:37 Thursday September 13 2001
Oops....forgot to mention the ROM is for an NC100 computer.


Richard in Bristol, UK. at 16:15:7 Thursday September 13 2001
What was the last version of the ROM that was released? Where can I download an image of the ROM to burn myself?


Willem Kossen in the Netherlands at 12:34:20 Sunday September 9 2001
Hi, Impressive how much info still is around on those oldies. it's just that i can't find what i need to repair the old ppc640 floppydrives. They won't read any floppy. Since i don't have any money either, i want to repair myself, but i need some help from people who have done that before. I could do with some manual, circuit diagrams, pin diagrams etc. Do you know a site where i can find the more technical information? thank you very much Willem


Jafet in Finland at 16:15:41 Saturday September 8 2001
I have an Amstrad 1640 DD, and when I turn it on, it beeps four times and says that I have to replace batteries and Set user settings. I know how to replace the battersies, but what does the 'Set User settings (if required)' mean? Should I use some kind of setup program?


KIM JOHNSON in leicester at 22:41:26 Thursday September 6 2001
ALT286/386 solution for replacing floppy drive. The original ribbon cable has 5 volt to supply the original floppy drive on several common wires. These have to be removed or they short out the power supply and nothing operates until you remove the ribbon cable. Do not bother to wire a separate power lead to the 4 pin power plug as you can re-use one of the spare 5v wires in the ribbon and extend it to the right hand pin of the 4 pin plug (looking from back of new floppy drive). To modify existing ribbon cable hold the plug that fitted to floppy drive so that the socket pins are facing you with the ribbon pointing donwards. Now I have numbered the individual cores of the ribbon from the right hand side, starting at No. 1 on the right and increasing to the left. 3 cores hae to be broken and you need to cut them back about 10mm from the socket and remove a 5mm portion of cable. Start by finding 5th, 7th and 9th cores. These are to be cut back and the 11th must be cut and extended to reach the 4 pin power plug with a short bit of wire soldered to the right hand pin of the power plug. To make it easier to cut the cores back you need to break the plastic between each core around this area with a "Stanley" knife. When you have finished I suggest you put insulation tape over the area that has been modified to stop any ends of wires shorting to the metal work. Although you will only have 1 wire to the power plug on the floppy drive, this is all it needs as the negative returns on the ground leads of the ribbon cable and modern drives only require the 5 volts. Hope this helps a few people with this problem. Thanks to Peter Daines for sorting the pin connections for me. If anayone can not get the lead modified, I can make a new lead up for a small charge to cover costs and time. You can e-mail me as above.


JamesE in Nottingham at 18:58:45 Thursday September 6 2001
I have a PPC640 with all the leads and software and manuals if I was to sell it what would be the estimated sale value (in other words could you tell me what it would be worth?)


psycona in Hobart at 10:58:44 Tuesday September 4 2001
I have become heir to the task of fixing an Amstrad2086. Monitor and keyboard were present, a replacement mouse was found, but no key. Not too sure of my abilities with a paperclip, I cheerfully unscrewed enough to let me clip the keylock switch itself closed, mechanically bypassing the actual lock. Fired up, booted correctly, found that the menu was wrong but that the dosshell let me find everything. Played Prince of Persia, shut it down happily. Next day, IT WOULD NOT BOOT. It complained about the keylock. The switch open or shut made no difference, removing it completely made no difference, nor did replacing it with a jumper over the pins on the motherboard. Is there any way to work out what's going on, bypass the need for the key and/or fix it? BTW: I have since found said key; shoved through a slot in the power supply casing.


Mike Stirling in Dundee at 10:18:16 Monday September 3 2001
Hi, Igot a PPC 640 the other day, and when I turn it on the Drive B light flashes and a thin line flashes across the LCD screen. I've read that it's meant to have 2 3.5" drives, this only has one and something that looks like a hard drive in the second bay...has someone been fiddling with this, and does anyone have any hints on how to fix it? Thanks very much,Mike


Mike in Auck , NZ at 7:22:3 Monday September 3 2001
me again nother question relating to the screen can i make it into a tv monitor like av port monitor cos that would be handy for my vcr :) thanks if i can tell me how in a e-mail


Mike in Auckland, New zealand at 7:17:32 Monday September 3 2001
Hey ive got an old amstrad pc1512 and im wanting to change the monitor screen input plug into a starndard pc one for my 486 is this possible if yes tell me how by sending me an e-mail plz :)


Jason Iskandar in Sydney, Australia at 2:33:24 Monday September 3 2001
Hi everyone, I just have a quick question about my Amstrad MegaPC and wanted to know if anyone could help me with it. The question is that I want to use the monitor that came with the megapc on a standard ibm compatible. When I hook it up there is a display, but it seems to be split into two sections. This maybe be because it a dual frequency monitor. Does anyone know a way to get around this problem?


Jeremy Sanders in Cambridge, UK. at 21:49:8 Sunday September 2 2001
Is it possible to get hold of the Amstrad PCW 8256 boot disks again? I'd quite like to have a go with CP/M again (for nostalgia value!). I've got the boot disks at home, but the disk drive doesn't work any more. Do I have to buy new ones, just to have a play, or can I download the images for Joyce?


philip lowney in Ireland at 14:9:2 Sunday September 2 2001
I have just dug up an old Amstrad CPC 6128 from the attic that I haven't used for a long time. I have encountered two problems with my disk drive. Firstly I had to replace the band, but after doing so successfully,and after using the disks a few times, it stopped working again. This time it wasn't the band, it was fine, now it was basically "crashing" after I entered in any disk related commands, there are no error messages and the keyboard doesn't respond. Let's say I type in "cat" to Catalogue the disk, once I press "return", the whole thing freezes and the disk drive makes no attempt to read the disk (it doesn't roll it's little spring loaded finger over the disk's surface), but even when it freezes up the disk is still spinning, which means it's not a power fault. I am fairly sure that it's a problem with the disk drive, not the computer. I will try nearly anything to fix it so any input is welcome. thanks!


joerg in hamburg / germany at 22:29:9 Thursday August 30 2001
good day, i've got an old integra pc (i know, nothing exciting these day...), which did quit service from one day to the other. possibly children playing around with it have caused this problem. when i switch the pc on, basically nothing happens. of cause the machine is taking electricity. but i hve only grey screen and no boot routine nor any error message. the only thing the pc does is to make 8 times a "beep" noise at the very begining, in a way of... beep....beep beep....beep beep....beep beep beep. the pc is an amstrad integra s/n 5334M 8103875 486 DX-4/100 with an AMD cpu on soket 3 not sure what sort of mainboard is installed. the only marks i cud find were: UP 8810 V10 Rev. 3.3 can you give me some idea and guidance what sort of problem this is and how to solve it. by the way, i tried to start via boot-disk, however as said, the pc does not even come close to a booting process, thus it does not acces the A-drive. thanks in advance. joerg


Paul Calistro in Ballarat, Australia at 2:3:1 Tuesday August 28 2001
Hi Cliff my son found at the tip an old Amstrad CTM-640 colour monitor which seems in good order. So, he wonders if he can use it off a VCR as a TV monitor? Besides the 240volt lead it has DC power plug lead and a six pin DIN plug lead. So,if this possible could you please tell me the pin connections and if is composite video or RGB. Many thanks.


Miss S. F. Wai in Newport, South Wales at 17:34:23 Saturday August 25 2001
Are PCW-9256 priters still available, if so where can I purchase one?


Gerallt Hughes in Wales at 14:45:34 Tuesday August 21 2001
I have a PC7486SLC-33 but I don't have the user's mannual for it. I wolud also like to find a co-processor for this machine. Any idea where I could find them.


ron in london uk at 4:4:9 Monday August 20 2001
an old lady reletive (late 70s) has writen a book on her 1640 hd30 she lives in the country so I removed hard drive connected it to my pentuim computer as drive d: on its own & every other way possible via its ide connector I got drive info (wd95038) cyl 615 heads 6 wpcomp 615 lz 616 s 17 from web but still wont work I have been told that it cant be done. It is very important so I can make a cd-rom for the old lady of her book anyone know a way without having to put it back in 1640 & copy files off via 5.25 disk (note for cliff: sorry I did not know about wedding otherwise I could have come along with my bruvver to have made it an even more interesting day! explain to wife how lucky she was)all the best.


ron in london uk at 3:46:54 Monday August 20 2001
I have an alt-286 laptop in perfect working order with carry case ect (battery wont hold charge) had psu fault so probably not used anybody like to make offer for it?


tim taylor in keswick ontario at 23:9:33 Sunday August 19 2001
i need start up software for amstrad pc1512sd computer


adele wells in CHINGFORD LONDON E46HF at 17:31:56 Sunday August 19 2001
I have a 6128plus and it will not load any games on disk, i have typed RUN""DISK as stated on game, i have tried over 10 games, but the games will not load please help DEL


Ian Studley in Hastings, England at 15:38:35 Sunday August 19 2001
Amstrad PCW disc drives. Is it possible to convert 3 inch 720k drives from 8B to 9A and vice versa by means of connecting the data cable plug pins? I realise the 4 pin power cable has to be changed. Pity about the PcW16! Regards Ian.


robert cook in holland at 19:29:56 Saturday August 18 2001
cliff, hi long time no communication.... anyway i am still using a indexphone dutch version, would you know where i could d/l thesoftware for windows for it??? regards, bob cook


Patrascu Florin in Romania at 11:2:54 Thursday August 16 2001
May you help me about error message "Service E4" at Amstrad LD-6000 ? Thank you.


Andy Gardner in Telford, Shropshire at 12:48:3 Wednesday August 15 2001
Having moved my PCW16 to a new location and plugging into a live wall socket it doesn't power up. I have changed the fuse in the plug, but still no joy. Have I fried something inside or is there hope for my old machine?


Dave Critchley in Wigan at 14:30:45 Saturday August 11 2001
I have a good Amstrad PCW 9256 for sale, but cannot sell it locally through press adverts. Has anyone any ideas where I might sell it? Thanks.


Neil Bunford in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands at 14:27:0 Thursday August 9 2001
I have 25 5.25 disks which I used with my 9512. Is there a simple method (pc software?) of converting the data onto 3.5 pc disks? In other words, can I do it myself or do they have to be sent away thus incurring cost? Thanks, Neil Bunford P.S. I still have my 9512 computer


Donald in N. Ireland at 17:35:51 Tuesday August 7 2001
i have just hoked out my old amstrad alt 386sx that has been sitting in teh corner for dear knows how long. the battery is DEAD, but the rest of it works good, except that when i boot up an error occurs after the memory is tested, reading... "hard disc failure". in setup i discover that the hard disk (type 18) has failed to initialise. i do not have a boot disc of any form and the seemed to be no fixing of this problem, so i went... exploring. i never knew that hard disks were so shiny, and i was surprised to find that it worked on a gramophone lookalike system. Deciding that there was nothing that my untrained eye would find (no visible scratches, no loose wires and nothing was smoking) i returned the dismantled "laptop" to its former self, no better or worse off for the ordeal. The hard disc therefor must just be dead like the battery, but i do have access to a mini SCSI card that will fit, an old external 2gb hard disk connected to a cd writer, and another internal hard disk from a similarly old 486 pc (Dell). Neither of these have yet been explored, but i would like to know if it should be possible to use either the SCSI card and external drive as the main hard disc, or replace the broken one with a hard disc eminating from a dell PC. Will it be possible to correctly install a SCSI card without the use of a hard disc? Will a boot disc be required?? Need i seek help??? of any form???? thats all. thanks in anticipation.


mubin patel in leicester at 14:40:57 Monday August 6 2001
excuse me i would love to ask u about a game on pokemon silver and the question is "where can i find super rod in pokemon silver" please could u tell me whos got it and in which city and is the person in a house or outside or in a cave etc. please please please could u tell me i am in need of one


Anon at 15:22:59 Tuesday July 31 2001
Cliff are you still alive? :o)


John Hayward in earth at 15:22:12 Tuesday July 31 2001
Elijah, do you have GEM desktop running on the Amstrad? you could probably get a terminal emulator to run on that I expect. Get the original disks of Cliff's site for the GEM operating system, then find a good search engine to get some GEM based applications.


Elijah.p. in New Zealand at 1:36:49 Monday July 30 2001
Is it possible to make the Amstrad PC1640 put up pictures from a 386 via the serial interface? i.e: make the amstrad a terminal to the 386?


Nicholas Derczynski in Exeter, Devon, ENGLAND (BORING...) at 18:34:10 Tuesday July 24 2001
Hi! Does anyone have images of DOS 3 setup disks? I have Windows 1.01, for my 1512, and it NEEDS dos 3-3.3 to run. It won't work on any other version. Any help there?


gary marsh in glouceter uk at 14:57:23 Saturday July 21 2001
only just got my 1st amstrad computer and want to write my own program but cant find the locations to enable me to poke characters onto the screen. could you please help me by telling me the memory locations for the screen to help me cont.


Gonzalo in Spain at 14:23:48 Thursday July 19 2001
I have two Amstrad Monitors (PC-CM y PC-MM) and i´d like conect to a vga compatible board. I know that the conector is not standar but, i don´t if the pins are compatible (syncronis, red,blue .....) What i can know pin´s functions?


Alan James in Scotland (In a house still) at 3:49:32 Thursday July 19 2001
Um, I optionally forgot to type in my email address, so my question is below this! ;P


Alan James in Scotland (In a house) at 3:48:14 Thursday July 19 2001
Hi! Looking for a NON-biometric (sorry, everyones probably done that, i can't resist!) interface for a DDI-1 External Floppy Disc drive for the good old Amstrad CPC464. YES! I did try on eBay, etc... but they all keep outbidding me (I know that's the whole point, but I'm POOOOR!). Anyhow, anybody got one cheap? I'd consider buying the 3" drive with it, but only if it's CHEAP!


Paul Matthews in ASH, Surrey at 0:30:52 Wednesday July 18 2001
Can an old Amstrad of 1989 with 5 inch floppy drive be adapted to today's standards, ie a mouse, windows etc by a replacement hard drive?


mike in n.ireland at 22:32:16 Tuesday July 17 2001
hi ive recently downloaded an amstrad emulator for me puter and the run commands were not included its called winape could one of u fine people pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee e-mail me and let me know what they r coz im DYING to play oh mummy and harrier attack (cant beat the oldies) thanks alot if u can help, and if u cant help i curse u with willy warts for eternity.........lol.


markfuller in Hertfordshire England at 21:21:49 Tuesday July 10 2001
I have a locolink adaptor but no instruction sheet and have now forgotten how to use it, can anyone help?


Erik in Netherlands at 21:20:3 Tuesday July 10 2001
My father has an amstrad 9555i with a pentium 1 75mhz. I have an pentium 166mmx processor. Is it possible to place the 166 in the 9555i and will it work. What do I have to do. Please reply also by mail, TIA Erik


arthur in aberdeen at 6:39:31 Sunday July 8 2001
q1 : what the hell does the word "biometric" mean? (sorry - I had to ask - my curiosity is perked :¬) ) q2 : (the more important one) would it be possible to find a pinout for the amstrad 40104 LCD controller chip within the PPC640 - and it's instruction set? ta


Nicholas Burns in glesca at 6:32:24 Sunday July 8 2001
I have aquired a pair of LCD screens, one of which is the amstrad ppc512 panel. I have managed to decipher the connections (and the odd bit of the timing control) for the first, but the amstrad connections (as always) elude me. I would be very greatful if you could possibly give me either a 1-15 pinout or point me in the correct direction to find such information. Thanks for your time.


Leslie in Cornwall at 17:15:14 Saturday July 7 2001
I wish to purchase an Amstrad Integra Computer, please e.mail, price


Nicolas Mougin in Nantes (France) at 13:36:25 Friday July 6 2001
I wonder if there is a way to programm the PC1512 sort-of-EGA mode (640x200x16colors) in GW-Basic, (for exemple, integrated machine language lines...) Another question I ask myself is a way to transfer files from the PC1512 to another PC (I have also a portable 486). Can you give me some tips to program a file-transfer system in Gw-Basic ? Thanks in advance


Naeem Akram in Pakistan at 16:55:7 Thursday July 5 2001
Please mail me your New Degital sotellite Reciever and price in pakistani Rupees thank you Amstred


Rob Ashburn in Manchester UK at 16:27:21 Thursday July 5 2001
Hi all, A client of mine has asked me to look at fixing an old Amstrad PC7486SLC-33 that his son has acquired. The machine boots, starts MS-DOS and then appears to be trying to start NetWare. Not surprisingly this isn't successful - there's no NIC in the machine, for starters - and whatever it's trying to start goes into an infinite loop. I've tried booting off a floppy, but this is ignored. I'm guessing that the boot sequence in the BIOS is set to start from C:. The problem is that I can't get into the BIOS to change this - no, it's not a password problem. I don't have the keyboard that was supplied with the machine, so I've hooked in a standard PS2 keyboard. However, despite the keyboard lights flashing when the machine is powered up, hitting DEL to enter setup is completely ignored. Am I using the wrong keyboard? Is there some means by which the keyboard could have been disabled? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. TIA Rob.


Anon in jordan at 19:35:43 Tuesday July 3 2001


Anon in Ray Loon , Heathcote, Victoria, Australia..rayll@hotkey.net.au at 11:18:25 Monday July 2 2001
Q1: re ppc640, the "expansion A-B" 25 pin socket at the back. What can this be used for ? Q2:Should the LCD screen be back-lit and if so: is it possible to correct the malfunction ? Q3:Is it possible to upgrade the 720K drives to 1.4mb ? Q4:Is it possible to add a small hard drive ?


joe haddad in UK at 12:44:16 Tuesday June 26 2001
my father has written a large manuscript on the pcw16, but now wants to send it to a print company who require it in a windows format..ive tried to load it up in wordperfect as it seems to be such a file, however, theres no joy..also in other programs too...any help?


Kwstas Mhtsotakhs at 19:54:20 Monday June 25 2001
I was given an amstrad ppc 512 but I do not know how to operate it. Does it need a special boot disc? I need it only for typing?What special software do I need or I type through edit in ms-dos.Lastly how do I save my work(do I take out the boot disk and insert an empty one?)Please give some advice I am total ignorant of the situation.


Anne in Australia at 4:26:33 Saturday June 23 2001
I have an old 2286 which works well. However the monitor is gradually becoming too fuzzy to work with. There are lots of old Amstrad computers in Op Shops, can any of the monitors be used with the 2286, and if so, which ones? Thank you.


Mister Nobody in UK at 22:55:7 Thursday June 21 2001
My Amstrad PC 2086/30 needs codes to reach programs. I appear to have lost these codes. Where can I find them again so my PC is not totally useless? One is known as Banner! Can U Help


Moritz in Germany at 18:22:43 Wednesday June 20 2001
I got an Amstrad ALT-286 but the floppy drive doesn't work anymore. Does someone can tell me how to fix this problem? Can I repleace it with a normal drive (1.44MB)?


James Brunskill in NZ at 4:7:48 Wednesday June 20 2001
I have bunch of old disks from an amstrad (sorry i am not sure which one possibly PC 1512) with some of my dad's essays which he would like to see again. I found an old 5.25in floppy drive and stuck it in my windows machine but when ever I stick in a Amstrad disk I get the "Disk Not Formated" error. Has anyone ever had any experience with this? It might just be that the 5.25in drive doesn't work I have no way of testing it :)


taviso in UK at 16:28:29 Tuesday June 19 2001
hiya :o) I've been playing around with an old Amstrad MegaPC PC7386SX, It was broken and in parts, but I've reassembled it and got it working! okay I had to replace a few parts but it's okay now :o) But I can't work out how to enter CMOS setup!, I've done a bit of research and tried every keystroke combination i can find reference to, but no luck. so everytime i need to change a setting I have to remove the cover, disconnect the Power from the HDD so I get a Controller failure message then a prompt to hit f2 to setup! I have read an article that suggests that some old PC's had some sort of bootdisk that would trigger the setup utility - is this the case with the PC7386SX ? I notice from some of your posts that you have a manual for this model, so I hope you can look it up for me! Thanks for your help!


jose manuel in santiago-chile at 15:18:3 Tuesday June 19 2001
el modelo amstrad ppc512 se puede instalar disco duro o un lector de disquet de mayor capacidad, y que tipos de programas pueden trabajar en el, solo trabaja bajo la version dos 3.30 u otra mayor, para quien me pueda informar gracias


Andrej Hawlina in Slovenia (Eastern Europe) at 14:55:26 Tuesday June 19 2001
music making software for (a piece of art) historical amstrad ppc 640 (1988) computer?


ad labee in CAP A/D IJSSEL at 20:34:50 Monday June 18 2001
Hello I have a Amstrad 486dx.When i started the comp there is the note Cmos battery state low.Push F1 to resume.Can you tell me wat this means.Iam not enable to start the comp. Sincerely greetings ad labee


Anon at 14:24:31 Monday June 18 2001
Theresa: goto any computer store and just ask for a VGA monitor extension cable. asteroid


scott in england at 18:1:20 Sunday June 17 2001
I am stuck because i am trying to download a game would you tell me how


Teresa L. Schultz in Harlingen, Tx 78550 at 16:34:33 Friday June 15 2001
I'm looking for an adapter for a moniter cord extension. The cord from my moniter is is permenantly attached at monitor and is not long enough to reach the PC port(where I want to place my PC). Is there a product available to add an extension?


ljiljana in slovenija at 14:52:50 Friday June 15 2001
HELP!Can't send fax on Fax Amstrad FX6000AT-only receve!Probably problem at scener head.Does anybody have scaner head to sold?0038615416867 -telefon and fax number


Michael D. in Hamburg / Germany at 1:48:30 Thursday June 14 2001
Greetings, Subject: Schneider/Amstrad PC 1640 HD 20 I´ve just repaired the powersource in the monitor, installed the hdd. it turns on :),makes the POST, But it does not boot. Its the original Hdd and im sure that Dos4.1 is installed.. Might be that i have to set up somethin in the bios, thats is my problem how do i access the biossetup ? Keycombination? floppydisk ? I hope you can help me. Since. M.D.


marcus in North Wales, U.K. at 22:18:23 Monday June 4 2001
HELP!!! I got a 2386 about 3 months ago, and am pulling my hair out. It is asking for a systems disk and no-one I know has ever heard of it!! Hope you can help all suggestions appreciated.


Riyad Elayan in Queen's dale dr.310h at 2:9:45 Monday June 4 2001


Kim Laughton in Cornwall, UK at 16:17:10 Sunday June 3 2001
Hi, I have just bought an amstrad ppc 512 from ebay, and a system disk was not included. I think I found the right file on this site, but Im still not sure how to go about making the system disk. Also, where is it possible to get programs for this computer. I read something about "turnkey" programs in the manual that dont need dos 3.3?


Sergio in Argentina at 16:19:27 Friday June 1 2001
I have a broken Amstrad ZX Spectrum +2A. The problem seems to be the ULA (custom chip). Can I get a new chip somewhere ?


Alessandro Gerelli in Italy at 15:55:0 Thursday May 31 2001
I have an old ALT386sx; the LCD panel doesn't work anymore. Or better, it seems that contrast is high and moving the pot doesn't change anything. The brightness is ok. Where can I find schematics? or do you have an idea to solve the problem? I think the contrast-pot is working, so it is something else. Thank you.


Anon in manhattan at 23:0:35 Tuesday May 29 2001
How do I fix a computer that when turn on give an error saying "error ROM?"


Buck in Australia at 13:25:26 Monday May 28 2001
HEY HEY IT'S BUCK AGAIN dose anybody have a hard disk controler card. i need a omti 5520b-10 card to use with my amstrad 1640. it's about 5'' by 4'' with a little gold sticker on one of the chips with 5520b-10 printed on it . if any has got one please let me know i'll pay just about anything (even sexual favours if necessary) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


michael in melb.australia at 9:13:49 Sunday May 27 2001
how do i access an amstrad pc7286,that was given to me,with a password lockout.hope you can assist.thanks.


Alvin Cohodas in Allentown PA USA at 22:32:24 Saturday May 26 2001
I have 3 PPC 640 laptops. They will not boot. Is there some place in the US that can repair one of these. I used to use Sinotech, but I haven't been able to locate them.


John Mounsey in Sheffield, UK. at 14:26:24 Thursday May 24 2001
Hello. I am trying to locate a reliable Joystick splitter for my original CPC 6128 model. Any ideas where I can get hold of one?


Anon in Portsmouth at 13:36:12 Thursday May 24 2001
I have just bought an nc100 without a user guide. Do you have a guide you could email to me? It is the file transfer that i really need to know about (to a win9x PC). any help appreciated. my email is andy.elford@aerohamble.co.uk(but not, please, for general distribution).


John Hayward in Portsmouth UK at 11:1:46 Thursday May 24 2001
looking for computers and/or parts cheap or free?? Please visit my garbage dump computing website for ideas on getting hardware people throw away, now have a message board, please drop buy and tell us about your best finds, or discuss repair and restoration on any treasured old system you found. Or, if you know a place with a skip full of old computers, tell us about it, so other users can get them!! http://computerdump.ohgo.com


Michael Blythin in Telford England at 21:58:31 Wednesday May 23 2001
I have recently upgraded my Integra to 128mb of ram and re-installed windows 95. This has overwritten the hard drive controller and disk setting (for w95) I have the Seagate ST3660A harddrive and Sony CD-Rom


Søren Brøndsted in Denmark, Jutland, Århus at 11:13:50 Tuesday May 22 2001
I have a CPC 464 with a 6128 rom and a cpc 6128, both with a extern DD1 Disc Drive. Both computers report a error "disc misssing" With a Disc in the drive. Thats my problem! Do you have a solution?? Yours Søren


Manel in SPAIN at 7:50:18 Tuesday May 22 2001
Where I can get information and technical isues of my Amstrad 386 notebook.... Best Regards


Francois ANCEAU in Paris (France) at 16:21:7 Monday May 21 2001
We have an old portable ALT 286. We are using it for hardware exercices (using ISA interface). Infortunatly its floppy driver (3'1/2 1.4Mo) seems down! This drivers has only one 34 pin connector (it has no separate connector for power supply). Is anybody has the pin assignment of this connector in order to build an interface for using a standard floppy driver? Thank you in advance Francois ANCEAU


james curtis in 16 severus road newcastle upon tyne fenham at 13:17:40 Wednesday May 16 2001
how do you load games on your pcw16 and get games of the internet for the pcw16


james curtis at 13:15:39 Wednesday May 16 2001


Tom Beckett in Lancaster, England at 5:15:37 Wednesday May 16 2001
I have just read about a company called Wiedmann in Germany. Will they possibly sell a replacement screen for the PDA600? I have visited their site, but I do not know any german, so don't know what to look for.....


Tom Beckett in Lancaster, England at 5:8:58 Wednesday May 16 2001
Hi, can anybody tell me of a company that would still sell replacement screens (digitisers?) for the Amstrad PDA600. I cracked mine about 5 years ago and put the PDA away. Just got it out again and want to fix it. Thanx for any help Tom


clive burke in oxford, oxfordshire, england at 21:27:49 Sunday May 13 2001
Hi! - How do I get into the bios 'setup' on my pc2086 (I want to configure it to take an extra floppy drive). Do these machines HAVE a setup, if thay don't then what do they have. Thanks! Clive.


Bjorn in Belgium at 23:11:14 Saturday May 12 2001
Please, i am a Sinclair fan (which actually includes that i have the Sinclair PC200, which was owned by Amstrad, but released under the Sinclair name) and i would like to get my hands on a few real portable, old to most peeps unusable pc's from Amstrad/Sinclair. i am willing to pay shipping, and maybe a little extra, but i can't afford a lot. PLZ, someone get back to me on this one, PLZ??? Anyone?? I am so lonely.... (Mail me, because i don't always check this forum)Thx.


Geoff in UK at 0:11:59 Saturday May 12 2001
I am looking for a copy of Locolink PC. Anybody know where I can get one?


Jeff Marriot at 8:57:3 Wednesday May 9 2001
Re: AMSTRAD NC100 Notebook - anybody have the manual as a PC file that can be downloaded?


Paul in UK at 21:43:19 Tuesday May 8 2001
Hi, Every time I try to start my pcw16 with your rescue disc, I get the message "bootstrap error insert rescue disc." Could you please help?


kevin in hull ,england at 20:58:43 Monday May 7 2001
please does anyone know who sells 3" drive belts for pcw 8256 ,thanks


SteveT in England at 22:29:9 Saturday May 5 2001
Could anyone help me out? (I need the pin out data ((clock,data,+v and gnd))for the Amstrad1512 keyboard)THANKS!!!


Buck in Australia at 12:20:13 Thursday May 3 2001
There was a man named buck who was really down on his luck as he could never find parts for his old AMSTRAD computer iron and now he is stuck in a rut PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME !


Buck in Australia at 13:24:57 Tuesday May 1 2001
Hi it's Buck again, is there anyone in Australia that has a old amstrad 1640 hard disk controller card that they will sell to me. If so please e-mail me at im1hellof@hotmail.com (no it's not a joke) or if you want to have a chat about the old amstrad 1640's please e-mail me also.


Neil T. at 22:46:30 Monday April 30 2001
Help me please! I have a very old Amstrad PC5286HD. Now, the problem is, when it start's up, it gives a error meassage "Fixed Disk Controller Failure." Could somebody please help me out? I know how to get to the set-up screen (ctrl+alt+s) but the rest is confusing after that. I think it may be the Fixed Disk C that's wrong. It has next to it, Cyl Hd Pre LZ Sec Size should they be set at something? I would be happy with your help. Thank you!


oguz akilli in corum/turkey : phone+905353044434 at 14:53:44 Tuesday April 24 2001
can I control a plc module with a n amstrad cpc-464 ?


ulzii in mongolia at 2:29:43 Tuesday April 24 2001
Help me? I like study 1.44 mb-iin floppy disk formatting programms.


Anon at 11:53:14 Monday April 23 2001
cyrix, unplug the computer, and pull the batteries out of the computer under the monitor, put them back in a bit later. That ought to kill the password, but you will need to reset time and clock.


CYRIX in uk at 13:36:7 Sunday April 22 2001
My amstrad pc-2086/30 has a keylock nd wont get past this obviously could you tell me what to do. I dont have the key


Buck in Australia at 12:42:6 Sunday April 22 2001
I have a old amstrad 1640 with a hard disk drive but the hard disk won't work . It will boot from floppy disk and when i fdisk it displays ''no hard disk presant '' i think the hard disk card is stuffed is there anything i can do to have it fixed or am well and truly stuffed ?


Thomas Hoskinson in NJ USA at 21:30:28 Saturday April 21 2001
I bought is poor little machine from a thrift store and fixed it's battery compartment but now I get a "error: Faulty UDU Controller" when I boot. Is there anything I can do?


Nathan J in UK at 20:40:23 Saturday April 21 2001
Hi, i recently got an amstrad emulator so I could play soem of the great old games i remember. I have the emulator which loads ok and a few .dsk format game files. I load the disk but cannot run the game, I have searched for a commadn lsit but keep getting 'type mismatch' 'division by zero' or missing operand errors. once i have inserted the dsik, which command do I need to use? thanks for your help


Jason Hands in Evesham, England at 19:33:36 Saturday April 21 2001
i have a PC5286HD and the floppy drive does not appear to work. BUT the cable at the back of the floppy does not appear to be standard IDE. how can i replace the drive??


James Huang at 6:11:13 Saturday April 21 2001
I would like to purchase four set of Seagate ST4096 or Maxtor XT1089 harddisk. Where I can get them. some body can provide the massage.


serge in france at 18:45:55 Thursday April 19 2001
download ms-dos vers. 3.2 for amstrad 1512-cm je voudrai télécharger le systeme pour démmarer mon vieux AMSTRAD 1512 j'ai déja téléchargé tous le reste du programe gem etc mais quand je le met en route il m'affiche! DISK SYSTEME NON VALIDE HELP MS-dos 3.2 please merci


Hans Olminkhof in Sydney, Australia at 9:58:10 Thursday April 19 2001
I'm resurrecting the neatest little 286 box I've ever seen, a PC5285. 1. Does anyone know what software was originally packaged with this? 2. It has what looks like an Amstrad branded soundcard. Has labels SSB-3 and 3100-015P-4 . Can anyone confirm what this is and where I might find a driver? Thanks, Hans


yolanda samuel in missouri city, texas at 12:5:43 Wednesday April 18 2001
is there a place in the computer where you can go just to practice typing? if so could you let me know at my e-mail address: ylndsmuel@aol.com--thank you


John Hayward in Portsmouth, UK at 22:23:1 Tuesday April 17 2001
where can I download DOS 3.3 on 5.25"?? i know the set up disks consists of DOS 3.3, but i need a "proper" copy of DOS 3.3, so I can use it on my Compaq Portable as well as my Amstrad. :o)


IAN in Northampton, U.K. at 20:39:33 Sunday April 15 2001
I just wondered if there is such a thing as an Amstrad pc1512 emulator that would run under windows98/(166mhz pentium) to enable me to run some old favourite games from my Amstrad past on my current computer? If there is, how/where can I find it please? Apologies if you've already answered this a million times before but I'm a 'new boy in town'. Many thanks


Karrarmato in Italy at 12:9:8 Sunday April 15 2001
I've read two messages in this forum about an old amstrad alt-386sx laptop...i have the same problems. I would found some information about the DIP switches but I don't know where...Can you help me?


Rui Bravo in london at 20:48:20 Saturday April 14 2001
Instruction to use the phone ''Betacom, Preview 220... -Handsfree Thalefone with caller display'' -Thank you... Rui Bravo


E.W.Taylor in Surrey UK at 20:4:32 Thursday April 12 2001
Re 7386SX monitor. I am using this on a DIY computer with WIN98. When set at 800*600 the screen is not filled. On the rear of the screen housing are two screws (?) marked 800*600 and 1024*768. Do these have any relevance? Many thanks. Ed.


Massimo at 22:37:39 Wednesday April 11 2001
In the last question I've forget to specify the kind of computer, I'm sorry. It is a PPC512. Thank you


Massimo in Italy at 21:17:19 Tuesday April 10 2001
Hi my question isn't about bio.. But isn't simple. What is the pin out of CC Video in connector? Can you send me the answer by e-mail?


Jackie Wall in MONA VALE, NSW, AUSTRALIA at 7:34:50 Monday April 9 2001
Amstrad computer purchased in 1988. Screen was about to die so I purchased a new machine and asked for the old data to be loaded onto the new machine. the technician has stuffed it up and cannot access anything in the Amstrad. PLEASE tell me someone in Sydney Australia who knows about Amstrads and who may be able to help. Jackie Wall


Richard Foulkes in Colchester, Essex at 9:38:42 Sunday April 8 2001
I have 5 Spectrum +3's, and none of the internal drives work on ANY of them (some of them also have more serious probs, but that's neither here nor there!), but i do have (i believe for a 464?) an external 3" drive. I have tested it as an external B:, and it works on all of them. Now my question is: How can i use this drive as an A: drive? I've recently obtained CP/M and wanna give it a go, but i need A: to boot! I've been all over the net trying to find the pinouts for the connector, but with limited success. Could i just disconnect the internal drive? How do i hook a 3.5" drive as well? Thanks!


G H Hughes in Scunthorpe at 15:18:36 Thursday April 5 2001
Sorry - I see you've answered my question before (see below, regarding replacement floppy drive for ALT386). I managed to dig out +5V, +12V and ground connections from the supply to the hard disk. I applied these to the new floppy power pins but, guess what, nothing doing. The run light came on on power up and wouldn't go off and a configuration message interuppted boot up. I tried turning the ribbon cable upside down (to plug into the new drive "correctly" meant putting a twist in the cable which made it too short to fit the drive right way up - button at bottom - suggesting it might need turning over) but the screen wouldn't light up and nothing else would happen. On the new drive 34 pin connector, one row has every other pin missing - I presume some of these carry the power connection on the ALT floppy? Do you really think it is worth persevering with a standard floppy drive? Can originals still be obtained - even at extortionate prices in some under-the-counter sort of way?


DANNY in HAMPSHIRE at 0:27:18 Thursday April 5 2001
I HAVE A PPC640 WITH ALL THE LEADS AND SOFTWARE AND MANUALS IF I WAS TO SELL IT WHAT WOULD BE THE ESTIMATED SALE VALUE(IN OTHER WORDS COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT IT WOULD BE WORTH?)


Mike in Madison at 0:23:4 Thursday April 5 2001
I forgot to mention - any time I try to format a floppy on my winnt4 or win95 machine, i get an error saying "invalid media or track 0 bad". I've used numerous different floppies - they can't all be bad because they work in my other computers!


mike in Madison at 0:11:33 Thursday April 5 2001
I have a 286 computer running DOS 3.30 - I'm trying to get some files off of the hard drive without any luck. It has a 720KB floppy drive - I can't seem to get a modern computer to read floppies formated in the old computer, and vice versa. Help, please? Thanks!


waqar in SARGODHA (PAKISTAN) at 14:39:1 Wednesday April 4 2001
dear sir, i have a printer " amstrad pcw 8256 " but no installation driver.plz send me the installation of this printer or suggest for this problem. thanks. waqar


waqar in SARGODHA (PAKISTAN) at 14:27:6 Wednesday April 4 2001
DEAR SIR, I WANT TO GET INSTALLATION OF PRINTER " AMSTRAD PCW 8256 " PLZ SEND ME THE INSTALLATION OR SUGGEST ME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.


G H Hughes in Scunthorpe at 12:5:57 Wednesday April 4 2001
I have an Amstrad ALT 386 laptop computer. The floppy disk has gone faulty and I need a new drive. I bought a drive but it requires a separate power connector. The one in the ALT doesn't. What sort of drive do I need to buy - or can I adapt a standard one?


John Hayward in Portsmouth UK at 21:52:11 Tuesday April 3 2001
footeur: you cant use EDO simms on a 486. EDOs are designed specifically for Pentiums, go and buy some normal FPM ram. :o)


leslie welch at 20:22:39 Sunday April 1 2001
April 1st. i want i want i want : sorry about that Cliff :great site for amstrad, spoiled by idiots


AGE OF ATD 286 at 19:18:8 Sunday April 1 2001


footeur in France at 19:3:40 Sunday April 1 2001
How can i put 16 MO memory (EDO) on a PC6486SX (s'xuse me for english, i'm french)


Dave Moore in UK at 22:33:18 Friday March 30 2001
Would anyone have the cd driver for a 9486 - I would be eternally grateful if you could email it to me


Rich Midwinter in Bournemouth, UK at 12:45:5 Friday March 30 2001
A friend of mine has an amstrad 9555 i. They've asked me to try and help them solve what appears to be a similar problem to Kevin Gillespie's (in Leicester, UK at 8:37:2 Saturday April 11 98). When you turn the computer on it got to autotyping... and then declared that it couldn't find an IDE drive. I followed the advice, physically removing the cd drive (which appears not to be an original drive) and changing the disk from autotyping to user defined, checking the settings with askide.exe. Now nothing much has changed! It gets to saying it can't find the IDE drive and tries to load windows 95, fails and leaves me with just DOS beeping at me with the C:\ prompt! Help please!


kelly in uk at 17:37:23 Thursday March 29 2001
how do i start the amstrad PPC512 up


Rebecca Shaw in England at 14:31:18 Wednesday March 28 2001
How do you type the fonts into the word procsessor


R Hargin in Hamilton Ont at 1:31:26 Wednesday March 28 2001
Dish bootstrape or emulator does 3rd. word really work. I've heard both ways. I'm not on top of emulators, but tired of paying money everytime new fix goes down( every 2to3 weeks, how doe's it work and is it agg free. Thanks Bob


George Higgins in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) at 20:3:51 Sunday March 25 2001
I have aquired an Amstrad Integra in good condition...alas I do not have any manual or paperwork to go with it, Is there anyone out there who can supply me with any data regarding the internal radio/tv card....i can get sound but no picture....HELP!!!!!


shoobbaka in france at 18:58:30 Sunday March 25 2001
I want the boot file for amstrad pc-1640-SD. If you know where I can find it, send me a e-mail.


Christopher Hugie in usa at 2:34:28 Sunday March 25 2001
I have a amstrad plc that needs to have a system disk. When I purchased it it didn't include it. If anyone could find the system disk data, that would be cool.


Anon in greenville ms. at 19:41:38 Saturday March 24 2001
I need to find out if I can get a mobile internet system without buying a new computer, up and down to a dish and where could I get it.


Mrs Weston in Eastbourne, England at 17:13:36 Saturday March 24 2001
I have an Amstrad Notepad Computer NC100 which has been sitting around not being used for some time! I would like my daughter to be able to use it when our computer is busy with her sister, so that she can prepare material for her GCSE's. However, Tempo suggested I contact you to find out if it is possible to buy links to my computer so that she may reformat the work... Or have I left it too late and can only use it for notes now? I have Windows 98, Epsom Stylus 600 printer and not alot of knowledge apart from daily use. Hope you can help me, and thank you for your time.


DAVID FRENCH in AUSTRALIA at 6:38:42 Thursday March 22 2001
IS the square socket beside the memory sockets in my ALT 386sx a coproccessor socket as I would like to ad one .Thanks David French


John Edw. Gulow in Chatham,MA USA [on Cape Cod] at 11:34:12 Wednesday March 21 2001
RE: Amstrad PC1512 "Amstrad PC Technical Manual"....I am looking for a source for this Manual, as a companion to the "Amstrad Personal Computer PC1512 User Instructions Book 1" I now have. Does anyone have one available...or, does anyoe know where one may be purchased? TIA John


currys york in york at 10:55:4 Wednesday March 21 2001
which printers will work with the amstrad e-mailer???


lizzie in uk at 3:30:27 Wednesday March 21 2001
i have tried all the bits of info i read here to restore my c drive.but it still missing. FDISK reports "no fixed drive" but i know its there cos i saw it. is there any other way to make puter recognise c drive. pooh to the thingy wotsit pen where my c drive :(


CID2001 in ROMANIA at 21:30:32 Monday March 19 2001
I have an AMSTRAD PC1640 HD20-TAN RLL ("640K profesional computer")computer and I dont no the key combination for open the BIOS ,for changed the HDD.THANKS.


lizzie smith in uk at 8:46:9 Sunday March 18 2001
having switched from C drive to A drive i cant get it to return to c drive the model is 2086 s. i havent got a manual u can put floppies in and get on ok. but when u exit the program u get asked for a command.com disc. if u can help it will be great.


Aleksandar Lazarevski in Macedonia at 0:25:47 Friday March 16 2001
Hi, can you help to find 3.5" floppy drive for Amstrad CPC464. Also (if possible), I would like to buy the printer for the same type of CPC. Thanks for the support!


Neil Doherty in Brighton, East Sussex at 22:44:49 Thursday March 15 2001
HELP!!! Can any one tell me how to fire up the Amstrad PCW9512 as I have no idea! give me a pc anyday. In case you are wondering its for my mum.


Peter Polacek in Sheffield, UK at 13:46:49 Wednesday March 14 2001
Hi, I have NC200 notebook and am unable to establish connection with computer (PC Win 98). If I type on my NC I see all OK on PC screen, if I type on PC keyboard I don't see anything on PC monitor but I see all on NC monitor. But I cannot send or receive files, yet I followed advice as mentioned in the manual. Thanks


Elisabeth Spang in Munich, Germany at 9:44:46 Wednesday March 14 2001
I've got an Amstrad 386 sx Laptop, running with Windows/Word 3.1. Is it possible to expanse this Laptop with an external CD-Rom and to load Windows 95 via CD? If yes, which kind of external CD-Rom should I look for? And are there any special tricks to mind for installation?


Richard Clark in Manchester, England at 9:51:50 Monday March 12 2001
Dear Techies, i have just bought a PCW9512 printer at a car boot sale, with the idea of using it with a PC running Win 98. I chose this printer to print forms with a number of carbon copies underneath - the daisywheel is ideal. Can you give me some pointers to a driver and the hardware modifications required please? Kind regards, Richard Clark.


pso in INGOLSTADT - BAVARIA at 8:33:43 Monday March 12 2001
hi there i have a alt-386sx. what i would like to know is technical details(ram, ram of gpu etc) thanks for posting i read through all the posted messages but i found no info. GREETINGS TO ALL FROM INGOLSTADT(FRANKENSTEIN-CITY) IN BAVARIA


akaya in the netherlands at 20:37:42 Saturday March 10 2001
hello, I have a amstrad,integra,pentium 75 and I installed integra.zip, but I couln't figure out how to get work with this software. I only see a black display, I tried everything, I changed the irq numbers, filters, pal, ntsc etc.. but couldn't solve this. Can you help me? Thanks, regards, akaya.


Günther Klebinger in Germany at 13:47:11 Saturday March 10 2001
it there a cpc6128-Emulator for mac?


EVIL-ERNIE in Birmingham , UK at 17:20:14 Wednesday March 7 2001
I want a CPC6128 (its a object from my youth) I would also like any periphials or other bits of hardware/software to go with it. Give me a shout on the E-mail above.. TA!


Neil Burton in Cheltenham Glos (Father in Yorkshire) at 0:45:25 Wednesday March 7 2001
My 76 year old father is still using a CPC6128 (after a couple of repairs by myself). It is a little late for him to start using a PC. His DMP2000 printer is now playing up and I was wanting to know if you could use a PC Printer (i.e HP600 series etc or someting in that price range - £80) I believe the problems might be with 7/8 bits of the parallel port and using a PC printer driver. Can you please let me know what you think about using a pc printer.


Rene Bakker in Dunedin, NZ at 1:18:11 Tuesday March 6 2001
Have an Amstrad PC2086. Wont detect the Hard Drive on boot up, says "0" hard drives, but there is one, as I have looked inside the Unit. What key combo's do you press to get into the BIOS on these PC's ?


john hayward in Portsmouth UK at 22:20:55 Sunday March 4 2001
ah I know!!!! A lot of 5.25" drives have jumpers on them and as well as use the right header on the floppy drive cable on your 'sensible' computer and set the bios, look at the back of the drive and see if there are some jumpers marker 01234 or 1234, on the back, pick the second one along and it should work. :o) If the drive is bust, I have a Mitsubishi 5.25" 1.2 drive for sale if you are interested for £10 inc postage.


David Lloyd in Walsall, England at 21:6:17 Sunday March 4 2001
Thanks for the reply to my question about how to transfer the data from my pc1640 HD. Still no joy. Set up the BIOS to read the 5.25" drive as B: 360K. When I rebooted the pc it acknowledged drive B: as 360k 5.25". No problems so far. However when I tried to acces the floppy the light on the drive came on, the disk spun, but I still got the mesage "Error reading drive B: etc. Put the 5.25" back into the amstrad and it works fine. Then tried another 5.25" floppy drive and then ANOTHER but still no joy. The pc used is running dos 6.2 and windows 3.11. Any ideas ? Thanks.


Richard Clay in Leeds at 10:37:46 Sunday March 4 2001
I have used an Amstrad NC-100 for many years, with a memory card. I've always downloaded to Acorn computers in the past, but am now moving to PCs. I have recently acquired an old IBM ThinkPad with memory card slots. I'm going to try (sometime!)to download from the Amstrad to a PC (I've found all your instructions on this!) but I just wondered if there was anyway of getting the same memory card to work on the NC-100 and the ThinkPad as a an easy way of transferring data.


Markus Möbs in Oberbrechen in Germany at 15:58:24 Saturday March 3 2001
I have had the Amstrad PC1640 for about 10 years now. I found it in the attic and now want to install a new DOS. Where do I get one?


Victor in Russua, Tver at 7:40:5 Saturday March 3 2001
I have printer Amstrad DMP4000, I want work with in Windows 2000 (Word, Exel ...). It not want work. I don't know Why.I hav't driver for it. What I may do?


David Lloyd in Walsall at 6:24:46 Friday March 2 2001
David Lloyd, Walsall, England. I have an amstrad pc1640HD which has served me wel for the last 15 years with no problems despite what the computer snobs in the pub say. I have finally given in and bought a pentium P.C. How can I transfer the programs & more importantly the data to the new P.C. I have put the 5.25" drive into the new machine and altered the config.sys file using device=driver.sys /D:1 & drvparm etc. On startup the new machine spins the 5.25" and acknowledges it as drive A: floppy 360k. Problem is when I try to access the 5.25" all I get is " Not ready in drive A: " no matter what I try. Someone asked a similar question and you said enter the BIOS as 5.25" 360k compatible. What does this mean ? Thanks.
Amstrad answers: Hi, I tried to email this answer to the address you gave but it was bounced. So anyway, here goes again

The fact is that a) you can't add the 5.25" as drive A: in that new PC, you should add it as b: because otherwise, if you ever had a fault with your hard drive you wouldn't be able to boot the machine from a modern Windows recovery floppy. Also b) it varies from PC to PC but all modern PC's have a built in "setup" program in their BIOS code. I guess the manual for your PC will probably mention this but, typically, when you switch on a modern PC, while it is starting up you'll see a message such as "press [Del] to enter setup" or "Press [F1] to enter setup". When you access this setup program in the "basic setup" you'll find you have the opportunity to tell the PC what type of drives are fitted as A: and B: - set B: to 360K 5.25" - in doing this it means you don't need to use DRIVER.SYS or DRIVPARM in Config.Sys as modern PCs have this support already built in via this mechanism.


Williard in London at 10:45:4 Wednesday February 28 2001
Anyone want to buy a CPC464 with colour monitor and a suitcase full of games? Any reasonable offer considered. It also has the DKTronic Speech Sythn that i used to use to terrorise my Grandmother into thinking aliens had taken over Welwyn Garden City. Oh, happy times...


john hayward in Portsmouth UK at 18:59:23 Monday February 26 2001
Ive just bought a brand new Amstrad GX-4000 games console from Ripoff converters for £5, it works perfectly!!
Am I right in thinking this must be the only British made games console??
Amstrad answers: Yup I think so. Presumably other European companies saw us do it, realised that no one could compete with Sega or Nintendo (at that time) and therefore didn't waste their time and effort. Since there are only two companies who have tried to compete in that market and I guess that both Sony and now Microsoft with th X-Box have the funds available to gamble on whether their machine turns out to be successful or not (clearly PSX One was!)


Yrkeen in France at 14:29:19 Monday February 26 2001
Can I watch TV on my CPC6128? I heard about it. And how?
Amstrad answers: Back in the mid 1980's we did produce a box known as an MP3 (mainly sold in France in fact!) that provided a TV tuner to the CPC monitor and thus allowed it to be used as a television. HOwever that was more than 15 years ago and even if you could find one being sold secondhand I can't help thinking that you can probably buy a whole, new portable colour TV for about the same money these days!


Danny McHugh in Blackburn at 20:4:36 Sunday February 25 2001
My uncle has bought an Amstrad PC1512 and we cannot get further than the DOS screeen. Can you provide a list of commands?
Amstrad answers: Well you NEVER are going to get much further than the DOS screen because that antique computer can't run stuff like Windows. It was supplied with a kind of "noddy" Windows like system called GEM (try typing GEM at the DOS prompt) but that's as old as the hills now and so the PC is only really good for using as a DOS PC (about which there were many many books written in the 80's and early 90's before everyone switched over to using Windows).


Graham Bull at 13:57:49 Sunday February 25 2001
Could you please tell me where I could obtain a printer that is compatible with a PC1640HD20. Thanks.
Amstrad answers: Any printer that is PC compatible and that does not rely on Windows can be used on that PC. At th end of the day it won't be the PC that is the limiting factor on what printer you can use but the choice of what software you use on the PC.


jacky in Malaysia at 7:9:11 Sunday February 25 2001
What is the 10 considerations for: a) Purchasing a printer. b) Maintaining a Personal computer. c) Purchasing a laptop computer.
Amstrad answers: Hey, look eveyone, an illiterate idiot! (I almost mis-typed that as illegitimate but that might have been correct too!)


R. Jomen in Gingoog City Philippines at 5:47:21 Sunday February 25 2001
My lapto wont start up because of an error during harddrive initialization. It seem that the hard drive type is not correct. I would like to inquire for the Hard Drive type of AMSTRAD Laptop ALT - 286 (optional data: Serial no. N16126109A). If this is not the problem, what had gone wrong then when my computer was accidentally turned off by brownout. What are my other options then. Thank you in advance for any assistance that you could extend. It would be our pleasure.
Amstrad answers: The ALT 286 had a 20MB hard drive and should be set to type number 2 in the BIOS (if it had the 40MB hard drive (but only in ALT386 usually) then it should be set to type 17). If setting the number still doesn't work then it may be time to look at replacing the laptop.


Bob Ryder in Maidstone, Kent at 22:54:28 Saturday February 24 2001
Out of the 34 Epson LQ printers, how do I find out which are the wide-carriage models (that you say will provide me with the necessary driver for my Amstrad wide-carriage printer LQ5000DI)?
Amstrad answers: I'm pretty sure that the one people have used successfully in the past is the Epson LQ550 setting.


Donald Bachand in Dysart, Saskatchewan, Canada at 21:13:6 Saturday February 24 2001
I would like to download a satelite dish receiver to my old Compaq Deskpro computer
Amstrad answers: And the relevance of this statement on a Q&A page about Amstrad computers is???


Pete in Stretford, Manchester at 21:26:36 Friday February 23 2001
Believe it or not, I have aquired a 640K PC. I've Laplinked it to a PC, trying to get some form of DOS onto it, but the 6.22 I'm trying to fit on won't do it. All I'm trying to do is to get DOS onto it, and with it's 5 1/4" drive, it's awkward! I'm looking for suggestions (and no, I don't want to do that! :) Pete
Amstrad answers: Do you mean an Amstrad PC1512 or PC1640? There are copies of all their DOS boot floppies on this site for download but you'll probably need to hook up a 5.25" drive to a "modern" PC in order to write the disk images ('course you can temporarily "steal" the drive out of the old PC).


john hayward in Portsmouth UK at 10:9:33 Wednesday February 21 2001
aaron, replace the batteries under the monitor, the cheapy 50p AA packs work well on Amstrads, open the machine up and clean any fluff out of the 5.25" drive with a paintbrush and clean the heads with cotton swabs and alcohol, you might find it will work. :O)


Very smart computer c++ Man at 2:1:38 Wednesday February 21 2001
Hello what is a BIO METRIC PEN ?? Thanks
Amstrad answers: Well I think we should start a competition to decide exactly what a "biometric pen" is and the whackiest answer received will be awared some piece of old crap from my archive of old Amstrad junk.


Daniel Dufton in Hull at 11:3:16 Tuesday February 20 2001
Is cheapness a corporate wide strategy or just for Amstrad computers?
Amstrad answers: Indeed Amstrad have always tried to use the most modern technology and the very latest production techniques to make equipment as good as everyone else but at a cheaper, much greater value for money price


John Gulow in Chatham, Massachusetts, USA [Cape Cod] at 12:31:52 Monday February 19 2001
RE: Amstrad PC1512DD RAM Upgrade....Thanks to all who respnded. To upgrade the 512Kb RAM to 640Kb, here is what must be done: [1] Install 18 64Kbx1 DRAM chips into the open sockets on the motherboard, then, [2] Change the jumper on the motherboard from the "512K' position to the "640K" position. NOTE: Getting access to the jumper position means disassembling the PC1512 and removing the metal Faraday Shield, as the upper shield covers where the jumper is located.
Amstrad answers: Easy when you know how innit?


scott Johnson in Puerto Santa Maria Spain at 12:1:56 Monday February 19 2001
I need some help a new person is taking over my office while I am moving to bigger one with a brand new computer. But I have got hundreds of web sites on where I have seached with Yahoo how can i get rid of these names. IF you can help it will be most appreciated. So to help out a bit it is not the bar where i put www.???.com it is the seaching part where i have to hit seach. Thank you so much Scott Johnson
Amstrad answers: Is this a case of "spot the pervy" who hass been looking at all those naughty web sites that have girlies with no vests on? Tut, tut!

(PS You just delete everything in the "favourites" folder and also use Tools | Internet Options and click the "Delete Files" button in the "temporary internet files" section).


Anon in Cheshire ,United Kingdom at 20:45:13 Sunday February 18 2001
Sorry to trouble you but cant remember how to access user options on an Amstrad 1640. Its forgotten its 3.5 drive and the 5.25 drive is faulty. help!
Amstrad answers: Wrongo, pongo. The 1640 is an XT, not an AT and does not have a SETUP program or the concept of knowing about what types the drives are. The BIOS is firmly convinced that all drives are 360K 5.25" so, there's no way to change it's understanding about drive A: but as DOS starts to load from a 5.25" floppy in A: it's possible that the config.sys file will have a DRIVER.SYS or DRIVPARM line to let DOS know that B: isn't a 5.25" after all.


Mick Beatty in Perth, Western Australia at 10:43:54 Sunday February 18 2001
Dear Uncle Cliff.
Hope i,me doing the right thing. Your wrath sounds dreadful. I have some very old 3.5" disks of my late sisters and wish to extract the files from them. They are written in Locoscript 2 and are on Amsoft CF2DD floppies. Do you know of any way I can do this? The old computer that did the work died long ago. I would very much appreciate your help and don't mind paying someone to do the work. Kind regards Mick Beatty
Amstrad answers: You should see me on a bad day!! If you still have access to the PCW then the options are greater but if not then you can only really send them off to a disk copying service and get them to transfer the contents for you. There are details on the PCW page on this site but I was sad to hear that after many years of doing it the excellent "Daves Disk Doctor" service that offered one fo the best options for this are closing down.


lazaro rodriguez in fresno, ca at 21:19:28 Saturday February 17 2001
Does any one know where I gan get a power supply for a sony vio laptop? model # of laptop pcg731. I also need to know estimated cost of part.
Amstrad answers: Well call this a real long shot, stab in the dark but do you not think there must be the most outside, remotest possibility that Sony might be able to supply one from www.sony.com ?!?


Richard Feingold at 16:7:18 Saturday February 17 2001
Where can I get the files to boot up an Amstrad pc1640 hd30?
Amstrad answers: File download page - the 4700?.ZIP files


John Gulow in Chatham, Massachusetts USA [Cape Cod] at 5:26:32 Saturday February 17 2001
Amstrad PC 1512DD I want to upgrade the internal RAM from 512Kb to 640Kb. There are additional sockets on the motherboard to add DRAM chips. I have added two sets of 64K chips and the RAM POST test still reads 512K. Is there a Jumper that needs o be reset, or a software call required to recognize the added 128Kb RAM? Just how is the 128Kb RAM added? TIA........John
Amstrad answers: Anyone reading this should see John's later message above where all details are laid bare.


Lena Haspell in Cheshire at 18:52:17 Friday February 16 2001
My niece has just acquired a pc7386fx80 but she is having problems trying to attach a printer to it. The printer is attached and although when you send a document to print, it picks up the type of printer available it will not send a print. What do we have to do?
Amstrad answers: Start at the DOS prompt (C:\>) and type the command COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT LPT1 and se if anything comes out. If it does then the PC and printer are working and what you've got is a software configuration problem that can probably best be answered by the author of the software you are trying to use. If it doesn't then either the printer or PC are faulty and you'll need to get an engineer to have a look at them or the printer is a Windows GDI printer in which case shoot the man who sold it to you.


Roger Wiig in Brisbane, Australia at 4:28:44 Friday February 16 2001
I have an Amstrad NC100 and I am trying the trasfer files to my IBM Aptiva using Hyperlink. Can you please tell me the port settings to use? Any other helpful advice? Thanks!
Amstrad answers: Luckily for you I had the foresight to guess that people might want to do this so that's why I wrote a detailed section on it in my NC100 user manual. Bottom line is that it defaults to 9600,8,N,1


David in Cumbria at 18:20:22 Thursday February 15 2001
Silly question from a beginner. My auntie just got given a 6128 but after about 3 days of use, no sound. Can I just re-attach a few cables or will it be easire to try and get a new monitor?
Amstrad answers: Well you won't get a "new" monitor as they haven't been made for more than ten years but I guess it's just a loose cable (I guess you've probably already found that to be the case?).


Martin Holmes in Salford at 13:6:23 Thursday February 15 2001
What printers currently on the market are compatible with the PCW16??? The Lexmark Z11 and Canon BJC 2100 do not work???
Amstrad answers: As noted in the PcW16 manual it is mainly compatible with printers that support the Epson and HP inkjet escape sequences (oh, and HP Laserjets)


vivekanand in SULTANATE OF OMAN at 17:12:0 Tuesday February 13 2001
DEAR SIR I HAVE A PENTIUM CELERON BASED MACHINE I LIKE TO HAVE A PCI/ISA CARD WHICH CAN WORK AS A SATILITE RECEVER DIRECTLY FROM A DISH (DIGITAL SATILITE RECEVER) PLS GUDE ME HOW AND WHERE TO GET IT THANKS AND REGARDS VIVEKANAND
Amstrad answers: Sorry but Amstrad have never made such a device. Thinking about it I'd have thought that technically it would be a very tricky piece of electronics to design as the crosstalk noise from the fast digitial circuits in a PC and those in the RF stage of the sotellite DRX


Warwick Hughes in Melbourne, Australia at 7:39:31 Tuesday February 13 2001
Dear Cliff, I was hoping you could offer some guidance on what to do with an Amstrad PC7486SLC / 25 mhz, that I have seen functioning in recent months but now will not boot to C:/ after the owner "carried on hitting keys after some problem" [I have a manual with a pic of what the BIOS main screen should look like.] When I turn it on it tells me: Quadtel WD7600 BIOS Version V3.07.01 1987-1992 Amstrad PC7486SLC. The 3 areas of RAM check OK ( it seems to add up to 8 meg RAM) Mouse initialised. Fixed disk controller failure If I hit F1 I get Diskette failure press any key Which just repeats. Now when I first went into BIOS, both the 0 and 1 fixed disks had NONE entered. I thought this is too easy. On the back of the case it says there is a Type 24 HDD, = 80 MB So I can enter Type 24 in for the 0 Fixed disk. However this gives me an line of entries out to the right that I can not edit and which differs in one number from the entries in the picture in manual. The full entries in manual are: Fixed Disk 0 Type:{24} CY 965, HD 10, ST 17, LZ, 970, WP, 0 Entries on BIOS screen differ in that WP, 305 Now if I change Fixed disk 0 to {User} I can edit any entry but changing WP to 0 makes no difference, also I can not then edit User to 24. Whatever, it does not work. All other BIOS screen entries look like pic in manual. I am wondering if there is a way forward ? Is it worth using a DOS system disk ? The unit has / had DOS 5, I have disks here for DOS 6. ? Does not matter if I proceed to complete reformat / reload, I have original Win 3.1 disks ( plus Word Perfect 6.x disks) but the DOS 5 disks are not to be seen, however as I said, I have my old DOS 6.x disks. Any advice might help. Thanks for useful site. Regards, Warwick
Amstrad answers: I think the Write Precompensation setting is a complete red-herring. The fact is that it doesn't really matter what you enter for that as it is only involved when the disk is being written anyway and would not affect it being read. I think you do need to try and boot to DOS from a floppy and then see what FDISK "thinks" of the hard drive. You might even find that the contents are visible and its just not bootable if you are lucky but I can't help thinking that the fact that the BIOS contents were "blown away" is just a side effect of something more fundamentally wrong. It might need a replacement drive which you can check by "borrowing" the mechanism out of some other PC and puttings its numbers into the BIOS and see if that is any more successful.


Jovan Laka in Yugoslavia at 5:8:36 Tuesday February 13 2001
Dear Sirs, If You have any solutions for using PCW82565 printer with PC, let me know. Best regards. Jovan Laka
Amstrad answers: Can't be done I'm afraid - half the "brains" of the PCW printer live inside the PCW system unit so the unit itself is not a "standalone" device.


john hayward in Portsmouth UK at 23:8:21 Monday February 12 2001
The lcd panel in your Amstrad is probably made by a Japanese company like Sharp or Panasonic, take the computer apart, find the model no. and check the makers web site, they should be able to help. Likely to be very difficult to wire it to something else unless you are /VERY/ technical person though. :o)
Amstrad answers: Close, I think it's a Seiko Epson but, like you say, driving a panel ain't as easy as a few wires from a parallel port!!


DJ in South Africa at 9:33:56 Monday February 12 2001
Hi i have a Supertwist HD61104 LCD screen from a Amstrad PPC512 and would like to now in it could run of a parralel port or perhads some data sheet would do
Amstrad answers: LCD panels aren't that easy to drive. To be able to just wire such a panel to a parallel port and then presumably send it commands such a "Display character A at column 17 on line 5" would require that the panel has some sort of local microcontroller that understood this soprt of high level command. That isn't the way it is. What goes up those cables in its ribbon cable are low level timing pulses that effectively scan across and down the pane;l and then the data for each pixel that the scan passes are fed down either 4 (nybble mode) or 8 (byte mode) of the the other wires. The only thing that knows how to generate these timing signals correctly is an LCD controller chip such as something like the Hitachi HD64646. But even once you have that, all it does it feed the pixel data from a memory buffer to the panel with the correct timing. You've then got to write graphic and text primitives that put the right patterns of dots in the right place in taht memory to start off with. Bottom line - you ain't going to do it (but if you do contact me and I'll offer you a job!)


Keith in Australia at 20:56:25 Sunday February 11 2001
I have recently acquired two Amstrad ALT-386SX Laptops, without manuals. I wondering as to what the different settings of the DIP switches were for.
Amstrad answers: What a good idea, I ought to put those DIP switch settings on the page here that covers portables. Errrm just one thing, I already did about 5 years ago!


hossam at 15:53:7 Sunday February 11 2001
i have a folder i want to copy it to a cd and then protect this folder for the copy to a hard disk when someone take this cd which contane this folder how can i make a protect for a cd to copy to a hard disk?
Amstrad answers: You can't - it's the perennial problem with CDs that they are so difficult to copy protect as the program cannot write anything back to them to personalise them. For commercial software they have very clever CD burning software that writes "hidden" data on the CD that later the application must be able to read in order to run and normal CD copying programs don't know how to copy this "hidden" data. However, this isn't the sort of thing you can do "at home".


Frank James in London at 15:34:6 Sunday February 11 2001
I've got an Amstrad PC2086 with 32MB Hard Drive:640k RAM which I've just started using. I'm trying to follow the MS Dos and Windows user guides but finding it difficult.So far I've used the cls and dir commands and can see what is in Drive C but can't workout how to open files or where the Windows files are stored. Also everytime I start up the computer it says "echo off" followed by "code page specified has not been prepared" which I remove by using "cls". What should I be doing to open files,get into windows, and remove what's on the screen at startup?
Amstrad answers: I think the sooner you type the WIN command and get into Windows where you don't need to understand the "black art" of DOS commands the better. However, I'm afraid I've got a bit of bad news for you - the 2086 is approximately 14 year old technology and as such it hasn't got the balls to run Windows (not the modern day understanding of "Windows" anyway!). You'd be far better off dumping the 2086 (its only worth about £3-5!!) and spending perhaps £80 to get an early 133MHz Pentium machine from somewhere like www.sterlingxs.co.uk


Guy Bynens in Belgium at 15:4:48 Sunday February 11 2001
manual for amstrad srd 600 e
Amstrad answers: www.cpc.co.uk


john hayward in Portsmouth UK at 23:2:28 Saturday February 10 2001
Sean, I had an elderly couple who had an Amstrad 6128 which the keyboard had odd keys which stopped working. I took apart and cleaned it and put it back together and it worked fine. look at my website it tells you how to clean keyboards. http://website.lineone.net/~dustbin2000
Amstrad answers: Thanks for that (but who is Sean?)


James L. Helmer in Northern Wisconsin, U,S.A. at 8:5:36 Saturday February 10 2001
I downloaded the pc1512 files from your site. I used my new computer to do this with. How can I transfer these files to 5.25 inch,360kb floppies. All I have on my new PC is 1.44MB floppy drive. I want to use these files on my old Amstrad PC1512SD. All Of My Original files Are Corrupted. Any advice Would be Greatly Appreciated. Thank You Very Much. Jim.
Amstrad answers: Standard trick - dismantle 1512, remove 360K mechanism, plug on to you modern PC, enter BIOS, configure B: to be 360K 5.25", use FDCOPY to create 1512 floppies, remove 360K drive from new PC and re-install into 1512, boot from floppies, QED!


Malcolm Surl in Cornwall at 23:37:21 Friday February 9 2001
Does anyone have the circuit diagram for the PCW 16 please - one of the components is burnt beyond recognition!
Amstrad answers: Unfortunately I don't think there was service manual produced for that model and a trawl through all my old crap would seem to suggest that I haven't got a copy either - sorry about that.


Richard Northcott in Glastonbury, Somerset, UK at 17:46:34 Thursday February 8 2001
Could you tell us where we could buy a replacement PSU for a Amstrad 5286. Cheers.
Amstrad answers: See the Manuals/Spares page on this site (you'll probably end up at either CPC or Edcom).


sean o'brien in Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. at 11:26:34 Thursday February 8 2001
Dug out our old cpc 6128 to give to a young lad (sight impaired) to practice touch typing. Checked it out beforehand using amstrad games pack & mini office progamme, all worked ok & printed ok to star LC20 printer.Took it to his house, plugged in, games load ok but now shift/control/esc. doesn't work & can't load mini office 2 (which was the whole point in the first place) can hear drive vibrating (trying to load?) but just get ''can't read drive 'A''. Seems only way to reset is to switch off & on.Joystick is plugged in. Also have 'Protext word proc. programme, that wouldn't load either. would be very grateful for any idea's/help. Many Thank's.
Amstrad answers: Ah so it does try to execute the RUN "DISC" command but what you're basically telling me is that the floppy mechanism has developed a fault. Although it's on the PCW page on this site rather than the CPC page, what I say there about the death of PCW floppy drives (because the old rubber band has stretched) applies equally well to CPC6128 drives. I think you'll find that if you replace that drive band that you should be able to ressurect it.


r Jansen in Holland, Utrecht. at 9:21:26 Monday February 5 2001
I found a Sega pc but i would like to have some information aboud this computer. Its broken but i would like to fix it. It get no power beceause the power supply is defect. Please send me some information about this old but usefull (for me) machine. P.S. This machine is more then 10 years old. And is a joint venture with sega.
Amstrad answers: All I can suggest is that you try www.cpc.co.uk to see if they still stock the service manual and spare parts but that unit dates from about 1989-90 so it could be that they no longer stock stuff for something that old.


eric king in london se 23 2sp at 18:14:23 Sunday February 4 2001
I have pcw 9512 and want to transfer cpm version 1.39 to a pc when i get one next month.is there a program that will do this either from my amstrad or will have to go on the pc and then transfer from the 3.5 discs ihave in use on my second drive.i also have been trying to get new 3.5 dd discs to back up my data but all i can get is 3.5 hd in the shops.i have given up trying to get 3 inch dd discs as they are now rare or faulty.
Amstrad answers: Well (short of using an emulator) there is no way you could use CP/M on a PC but you should be able to get any data you have created using PCW programs transferred onto PC readble discs. Have a look at my PCW page where I suggest various solutions for this.


Paul in London UK at 18:4:28 Sunday February 4 2001
I have just acquired an Amstrad ALT-286 laptop computer. It has no user manual or software floppies, but did come with several LocoScript PC manuals (Installation & Configuration book not included) The only thing on the screen are the words "Bad or missing Command Interpreter". Can anyone provide information on how I can get the ALT-286 up and running properly and on locating the software floppies and the user manual and Locoscript's PC Installation & Configuration book. Please be gentle with me as I'm pretty new to computers! Any advice will be most welcome. Thanks.
Amstrad answers: Bad or missing command interpreter just means that the command.com that should be in the root of drive C:\ is missing. If you have the DOS floppies just boot from them and then give the command SYS C: to copy things back. If you don't have them then go to any modern PC, put a blank floppy in A: and give the command FORMAT A: /S then take the floppy that this produces to the ALT, insert it and switch on and it should start up to an A:\< prompt, if you also copy SYS onto the floppy you'll then be able to SYS C: and the ALT hard drive will become bootable again.


Rudolf in Germany at 10:36:19 Saturday February 3 2001
Does anyone know a tool to low level format the HD of an Amstrad PC2386/65 machine (HD-type is Seagate ST277R-1)?
Amstrad answers: I think GC000:0005 in debug should start it (or whichever segment the HD BIOS is located at) but be very very careful and remember to do it in neutral humidity and temperature and, whatever you do, don't forget to re-enter the bad track table (paper label on drive) after it finishes. However before doing any of this sit back and think whether you REALLY want to trust the storage of your data to such an old dinosaur of a hard drive!!


john hayward at 17:28:56 Friday February 2 2001
one of the other best computer helplines is back up and running!!

http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/helptest/post.html

Excellent message board, I've chatted to people all over the world thru this site!!!
Amstrad answers: Thanks for that.


CHEESEY PEAS at 22:57:56 Thursday February 1 2001
Cliff, could you add a filter that will stop any post with "briefly expain" or "ten considerations..." from appearing on this board?? :o)

There seems to be lots of lazy students who cant be arsed to get down the library and research anything.
Amstrad answers: Yup, for a while I just couldn't be arsed to bother adding replies but now I've just chopped out the questions where I can't see any relevance to Amstrad and have added a few answers.


journiac at 10:49:52 Wednesday January 31 2001
comment créer un jeu avec un cpc464 en programme basic ou créer des images?
Amstrad answers: Excuse moi mais je ne parle pas beaucoup de Francais!


kelly at 5:53:10 Wednesday January 31 2001
would like specific commands to get into the "c" drive of a 1512 amstrad pc.
Amstrad answers: You were close - just type "C:" to switch to the hard drive!


Klaus-Peter Zellner in Germany / Munich at 22:1:45 Monday January 29 2001
I have the LC-Display of an old Amstrad PPC512 PC. I need pinouts, protocol and datasheet to connect. Thank you.
Amstrad answers: See answer I gave above to DJ in Soutyh Africa who asked this same question.


John Walsh in Northern Ireland at 18:32:36 Monday January 29 2001
Hi, I've this biometric pen and was wondering........only kiddin'. I've an Amstrad PCW 8512 which was working fine until recently. Now all I get is a green screen. As I see it I have two possible avenues of salvation, 1. Repair the problem - (help please), or 2. Migrate all the existing data off the Amstrad onto a newer machine - (again...help please). You might have gathered that I would really appreciate any form of help, please.
Amstrad answers: By only getting a green screen I guess you mean it will no longer ready floppies so cannot be started from a "Start of Day" disc? As you may have seen on my PCW page this all comes down to a worn out rubber band that CAN be replaced. If you go for the other option - transferring the data (probably the best answer in this day and age!!) then, again, you'll find stuff on the PCW page about how this can be done.


Colin Cummins in Australia at 8:5:48 Monday January 29 2001
Hi, I have an Amstrad PC5386SXHD that I'm using to control my garden sprinklers. Since I got the PC at a garage sale I have no documentation whatsoever. I want to put an older video card (CGA or Mono) in so that I can use one of my old monitors with it. How do I disable the on-board VGA in order to do so? Also, will I have a conflict with the parallel ports if the video card I put in has a parallel port on it? Mandy thanks (in advance).
Amstrad answers: Answered by email - I think it's link 1 (well it is on 5286) but if anyone out there with a 5386 can confirm this that'd be good.


john hayward at 13:32:14 Sunday January 28 2001
Anyone need a sound card for an XT clone, ie: Amstrad 1512/ 1640/ 2086?? I've got an 8 bit Sound Blaster card on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1210913489
Amstrad answers: I presume you've sold this by now?


jaq none in essex england at 14:50:56 Saturday January 27 2001
being a bit of a pc nerd, tho not very clever, i offered to update my brothers apc3286. it had dos 3.30 and nothing else. i managed to install mouse/printer etc win 3. then win 3.1.....trouble is, i would like to be able to update the dos to 6.22,so i can defreag etc but how can i do that without formatting the whole contents? when i boot it up with the new dos 6.22 floppy disks, it says i already have a operating system and i need a application from amstrad to be able to install the new dos.please can you help?
Amstrad answers: DOS only really consists of the two hidden files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS and the visible COMMAND.COM. If you boot DOS 6.2 from floppy and then ATTRIB -S -H -R the two .SYS files on C: and then XCOPY those same files from the DOS floppy to the hard drive and then finally copy over COMMAND.COM - later you'll need to put all the DOS 6.2 utilities into \DOS and put a PATH to this in AUTOEXEC.


paul in THETFORD , NORFOLK ENGLAND at 22:51:57 Thursday January 25 2001
PLEASE HELP. My youngest daughter hase been givern a amstrad pc2086. The disk that should be loaded 1st has been damaged. Somehow the metel slide has been opened and the floppy has been creased. On the label of the disk it has (hand writtern) PC2086,writing,MS-DOS 1/1, ms-dos-orig.I am not very brite when it comes to computers but did have the sence to read the manual. If i have understood right. There should be 5 or 6 disks for different operations.If i can get the disks or information i need just to get the computer to do enough to keep a 10 year old happy Then i would be happy to (And also very gratefull). I look forward to haering any good news on this subject. Yours hopefully paul
Amstrad answers: Forget the DOS that comes with it (its a very old version called MS-DOS 3.3) just use a much more modern version such as MS_DOS 6.2 that you may well find on a friends more modern PC. Prepare a DOS floppy by giving the command FORMAT A: /S /F:720 on such a modern PC and then that can be used to start up the 2086.


Dean Chambers at 13:17:38 Thursday January 25 2001
I have a PC5286SD but every time I boot up it says Keyboard Error E0 - Is the keyboard duff ? After boot up the keyboard only sort of half works
Amstrad answers: Yup I agree with your diagnosis. The 5286 was one of the first PCs where we switched to using industry standard, PS/2 compatible keyboards so you should just be able to buy any "standard" keyboard for about ten quid down at your local PC World.


Mr. M. Luescher in Scotland at 12:17:24 Thursday January 25 2001
Hi there, Any ideas how I could convert Locoscript data base files (which I use to produce Invoices etc. by merging files) to Microsoft Word data files. Thanks
Amstrad answers: Suggest you contact www.locomotive.com as it is their product.


Peter in NRW, Germany at 7:9:53 Thursday January 25 2001
HELP !!I would like to change my ID-Number of my Amstard FX 600 AT Fax-Mashine? Is there anyone who can help me?
Amstrad answers: Suggest you email to support@amstrad.com


S FERGUSON in dUDLEY at 0:33:15 Wednesday January 24 2001
I WANT TO UPGRADE A FRIENDS AMSTRAD PC3386 SX CAN U TELL ME WHAT MEG IT IS AT THE MOMENT AND WHAT MEG IT CAN GO UP TOO AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT INFO AS I HAVE A LEGAL COPY OF WINDOWS 95 WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO INSTALL ON IT
Amstrad answers: Don't bother, you'll spend more upgradin that to make a half baked machine than you could spend to get a whole Pentium machine! www.sterlingxs.co.uk have 133MHz Pentium machines on sale for about eigthy quid. To my mind THAT is the best way to go!


john hayward at 21:15:58 Tuesday January 23 2001
Anyone need an Amstrad 9512 owners manual??


Johan Öhrn in Sweeden at 1:50:11 Tuesday January 23 2001
Please could someone help me identify this motherboard? I'm in desperate need of a manual for it... Please look at this picture and see if you recognize it. http://www.hobbiton.org/~oern/motherboard.jpg
Amstrad answers: Are you saying it's from an Amstrad PC? It looks quite like the board in an Amstrad PC9486i/9555i


Marius Cismaru in Arad, Romania at 0:26:15 Monday January 22 2001
Hi. I graduated school but I keeping up doing self-made projects at my home. Recently, I did buy an Amstrad PPC512 laptop computer at a very low price. Mostly I want to learn how can I handle the lcd and its interface. I will be very happy if you could send me some documentation about this computer (pinouts, etc..). Thanks!
Amstrad answers: See the answer I gave above to the same question from DJ in South Africa


johan in Sweeden at 20:34:49 Saturday January 20 2001
Hello! I just got an old amstrad cp9486 machine. Unfortunally i didn't get any drivers or anything... So I was woundering if you by any chance know what hardware is in the computer and where to get drivers for it? I've found it's a cirrus logic chip on the graphics card(built into the mainboard) but i dont know the manufacturer of it. Also I dont know who made the soundcard. I dont have any clue there.Thanks for any help I can get. /Oern
Amstrad answers: Well the Cirrus card is made by Cirrus so sugget you check out their web site for a video driver. If it has a sound card it will be a crappy old Adlib-only compatible so won't be able to play .WAV files - suggest you replace that with a modern £5 sound card that has all the bells and whistles.


Viktor Ni in Belarus at 15:18:7 Saturday January 20 2001
I need information for conect new keyboard to Amstrad PC7386X80. Where i can find this information? I'm looking for the pinouts of motheboard Amstrad VSC386SXD V.2.01 (cin4-mouse and con3-keyboard) Thank's. Viktor.
Amstrad answers: Totally bog standard "PS/2 compatible" keyboard as used on ALL modern PCs. Just get a replacement from your local PC World.


alam at 11:46:3 Saturday January 20 2001
Hello, I have a monitor AMSTRAD 644-2 and I would want to serve of it to me like monitor for the video. What modifications must me to make so that there is an entrance composite Pal on this monitor. Cordially
Amstrad answers: Not possible.


Jim Morris in Ohio at 6:12:44 Thursday January 18 2001
Dear Fellow Amstrad Enthusiasts, I have a number of Amstrad XT's (with original software!) in very good shape. I would like to talk trade, buy, sell or upgrade. I would also like to talk about jury-rigging a power supply into them so I can use a standard CGA monitor. Does anyone have the pinouts for the circular Amstrad video port so I can rig up a standard CGA plug? I am also interested in other older hardware and software. If you have or know of ANYTHING (and I do mean ANYTHING) along this vein, PLEASE let me know. Thanks in advance for your time and help. -Jim Morris
Amstrad answers: Hope you got some response.


Zack O. Allen, Jr. in 3214 N. Chestnut St. Apt.#142 Colorado Springs,CO.80907 USA at 3:56:11 Thursday January 18 2001
I just bought(won) an old amstrad ppc 640 and there's no manual nor software that comes with it. Please I need what all the informations for this portable pc. Thankyou... Zack Allen, Jr. e-mail address zoaj@hotmail.com
Amstrad answers: You might get a manual from www.cpc.co.uk but I'm not really sure what you'd need to know apart from the fact that it's an IBM compatible 8086 PC with 720K floppy drives and will run standard MS-DOS, PC-DOS or DR-DOS.


Talisa Holmberg in Fayetteville AR at 20:45:33 Wednesday January 17 2001
HI. My name is Talisa & Im very new at this computer stuff but im trying my best. Any way Ive got a p486-pcd. It was given to me & I want verry much to get it going,MY SELF. This is the only info I have.P486-pcd, 8v8 8b8c, m27c1001 15f1. I dont have any idea what theese # means but I do hope it is enouph to find a owners manual. Can you help me? I sure do hope so. Thank you very much. Talisa
Amstrad answers: Sorry but I don't recognise it. Are you SURE its an Amstrad PC?


Talisa in Fayetteville, AR at 6:50:6 Wednesday January 17 2001
could someone please tell me where I can find a owners manual on AM,MEG,486DX-33? Thank you verry much Talisa
Amstrad answers: That isn't an Amstrad is it?


Chris Vesty in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, at 16:35:37 Tuesday January 16 2001
i have just got an old Amstrad PPC512 computer that is meant to be portable, is it worth anything in £ or just an old classic?
Amstrad answers: Classic = £3-5 (yup! three to five!)


john hayward at 21:36:15 Sunday January 14 2001
Has anyone noticed the Amstrad 2000 series looks a lot like the (also British engineered) Apricot XEN series? they both similar sloping case style.
Amstrad answers: That's exactly what all the journalists said when it first came out but our designer at the time swore that he'd never seen the Apricot and it was just co-incidental.


Hilary Protts in Somerset at 20:16:53 Sunday January 14 2001
It has been recommended that my autistic son use an Amstrad NC200 as his writing is so poor. How do I get one of these machines? I should be grateful for any information on how to obtain an NC200. Thank you.
Amstrad answers: Well you can only hope to pick one up second hand as they haven't been made for about 10 years now. Though, having said that, the Japanese company that made them for us went on to sell the same sort of design to Tandy/Radio Shack. In the UK I think Radio Shack have now gon out of business but Radio Shack is still going strong in the US and I'll better their web site is www.radioshack.com - you could try there to see if they still stock a small, portable word processor machine.


Anon in Jockland at 15:57:20 Friday January 12 2001
I recently connected a biometric pen to an idiot which resulted in a multiple posting.Is it possible to reverse this process without you having to say the same things to people that dont read?And on a lighter note is replacing the print head on a 9512 fairly routine? i woudnt mind attempting this if it is.And thanks for the site i found my fault(micro fracture) with ease in another posting.
Amstrad answers: Ho ho - thankfully the biometric boys seem to have died down a bit these days. If you can get the print head (maybe from www.cpc.co.uk) then I think that actually replacing it is pretty straight forward.


Karl-Heinz Funk in Germany at 13:57:32 Wednesday January 10 2001
From cpm.interfun.net I got a file with GSX-80. But it is missing gengraf.com. Is anyone out there who has a complete GSX-80 file? I think it was deliverede with Joyce and CPC, right? I would be happy to get complete GSX-80
Amstrad answers: Don't have it myself


MERVYN LONG in MALVERN, WORCS, ENGLAND at 11:4:14 Wednesday January 10 2001
I HAVE A CPC 6128(NOT WELL) WITH MANY ACCESSORIES, INCL DMP,MOUSE,JOYSTICK, MULTIFACE, BOOKS, AND MANY GAMES AND UTILITIES ON DISC & TAPE, CAN YOU POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION OF ANY POTENTIAL BUYERS?
Amstrad answers: Yup, advertise on news:comp.sys.amstrad.8bit


Bettie Flagler in Missouri at 16:30:46 Tuesday January 9 2001
Do you have a laptop that I can send & receive email on a cruise ship. I want to send & receive to the USA while being out of the USA and on ship with no phone lines.
Amstrad answers: Amstrad haven't actually made/sold computers for almost FIVE years now.


Britt Bo in Sikeston at 16:26:24 Tuesday January 9 2001
What is inside of the coca-cola bottel from the Netherlands thet is featured is the Salute to Folk Art exhibit?
Amstrad answers: I'm leaving this one as it currently wins my all time "totally irrelevant question award" !! Well Done!


BloKe911 in Staffordshire- UK at 15:46:28 Tuesday January 9 2001
BIOMETRIC....... No only kidding, does ne1 know where i can get hold of an old MEGAPC it was released by amstrad as a 286? pc with a megadrive built into the unit, does anyone still sell them and could i but the megadrive unit into my own pc? does ne1 know the answers to my questions- please help Gaz_Bloke gaz_bloke@hotmail.com
Amstrad answers: Can ony suggets you try ebay.com and similar or look in magazines such as Micro Mart in the hopes of someone selling one second hand.


David R. Thurber in Wells, Nevada, United States at 18:7:5 Sunday January 7 2001
I seem to have found an Amstrad model that wasn't listed here. In fact, when I was consulted on it and I took a look at it, it scared me. It's the PC1512DD. It still worked but the people that were consulting me weren't given anything at all other than the hardware. Is there really any use left for this dinosaur? :-) I grew up with quite a few of them and this one reminded me of the ADAM that was released in the early 80's. I also wanted to know if there is still any intrinic value left in this old critter.
Amstrad answers: No the PC1512 (which is listed on this site!!) is just a museum relic these days and has no other value.


Peter Roberts in Frimley, Surrey at 15:41:23 Saturday January 6 2001
I have a PC2086 and it still performs well, except for the monitor. After switching on, the focus seems to drift as it warms up, and after a few minutes is well out of focus. It has gradually got worse over the years and cannot be brought back in to focus even by use of the focus control inside the monitor. The range of the focus control is no longer sufficient. Can this be rectified by replacing components inside the monitor, or is it more likely to be the tube that needs replacing? I would like to repair it if possible to keep the system together in its glory!
Amstrad answers: Normally I'd suggest donning the rubber underwear and fiddling around with that control in the back of the monitor while trying to avoid the 25KiloVolt bits! But you've already tried that - as such I think it may just be time to admit defeat.


calmer bloke at 19:24:0 Friday January 5 2001
what does that mean? honestly Cliff's explained so many times about the posting policy, it has ruined this helpline with idiots who ask the same damn questions over and over again.
Amstrad answers: Thanks for the ote of confidence - I have returned to remove all the ridiculous, irrelevant rubbish!


Andrew T Burchett in 67 Canterbury Road Sittingbourne Kent ME10 4JA at 12:30:38 Thursday January 4 2001
hello cliff im having problems with my computer spontaniously reseting itself at random moments
Amstrad answers: DRAM fault ?


simone in Nottingham,England at 17:13:34 Wednesday January 3 2001
please could you tell me what printers can be used with the e-mailer.
Amstrad answers: ANY printer that can print text from a PC if you just try something like COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT LPT1 - that is, a printer that accepts ASCII text. However some modern "GDI" printers (the really cheap ones!) rely on WIndows to operate and cannot be used.


Sean in Gloucester at 14:28:41 Tuesday January 2 2001
Game -- I need the name of a game. The cover had a pic of earth and Adam and Eve. The character was a short hooded person with red? eyes.
Amstrad answers: An Amstrad game? Try comp.sys.amstrad.8bit where the game gurus live.


Jaumon benjamin at 15:7:1 Monday January 1 2001
Mon cpc n'enrengistre plus que faire? en effet j'en bien retrouver le petit clou que vous dite dns un de vaut site, mais ou il faut le mettre?
Amstrad answers: Que?


Robert Hill in Scotland at 2:42:30 Monday January 1 2001
How do I get an Amstrad DMP2160 to work by printing both ways (bi-birectionally) under Windows 98. I have installed an Epson FX80 driver and understand that the parallel port has to be altered. Can you tell me how to do that?
Amstrad answers: If there ain't an option in the Windows driver then I fear that it cannot be done.


John Hayward at 18:4:26 Sunday December 31 2000
Mr gadget who posted below, Does you Amstrad laptop have a standard floppy drive with 34 way connector but no 4 pin power connector?? I've got a Sony made drive like this with a white front bezel for sale quite cheaply. :o) Email me for more details.
Amstrad answers: Thanks for offering to help.


Derek Handy in Tyne & Wear, England at 16:3:28 Sunday December 31 2000
Where can I buy a spreadsheet application program for my Amstrad PDA600.
Amstrad answers: Unfortunately you cannot.


Gadget in Shropshire, England at 15:1:39 Sunday December 31 2000
The fddon my ALT386sx has gone west and i was informed that a standard fdd could be fitted if a power supply was spliced in. I did that but the machine will not recognise the fdd and if the ribon is fitted the correct way it prevents the machine booting up at all.Is there a fix to this ?. Please help!
Amstrad answers: The unusual thing about the original floppy was (I think!) that it got its power down the ribbon cable whereas standard drives have a separate 4 pin power connector so you'll need to make up a lead to route power from the ALT to this new drive.


Dean Graham in Hambleton, Nrth Yorkshire at 21:58:15 Thursday December 28 2000
Hi, could you please tell me how to reset a pc1640 (if possible) withought having to turn it of then back on. I know that CTRL ALT and DEL work on a modern pc, but the Amstrad doesn't have a DEL, (i can't find it anyway!) Many thanks, Dean Graham.
Amstrad answers: Oh yes it does!


John Hayward at 19:16:41 Thursday December 28 2000
anyone want to upgrade their 386?? I have a 25 and 33Mhz PLC type Intel 386 processors for sale, plus two different types of 387 coprocessors (PLC and PGA) to fit most 386s. Could consider swap any of these parts for a 287 co-processor for my old 286 Toshiba laptop. Can ship worldwide.
Amstrad answers: Thanks for offering.


Andrew Owen in Australia (but I'll be back) at 2:59:59 Thursday December 28 2000
Where can I buy a dead Sinclair PC200?
Amstrad answers: ebay? MicroMart?


jane in Leeds at 20:25:26 Tuesday December 26 2000
First posted a question way back in march, this simply got the reply that you would answer later, now when I boot up C is coming up as an invalid drive Help!!! PS what is biometric
Amstrad answers: Suggest that cable/power to drive may be faulty, drive controller card not fitted correctly, drive mechanism is faulty, drive may need to be SYS'd or FDISKd or FORMATted. It's quite tricky to guess which given the information.


Bjorn in Belgium at 19:20:8 Friday December 22 2000
Can anyone help me to get extras for the PC200?????? I want a HD, soundcard, the original software and monitor. And everything working that i can get my hands on. i am willing to pay a bit, but since i'm only 16..........
Amstrad answers: It's a standard PC so all standard PC peripherals should work.


Bjorn in Belgium at 19:13:31 Friday December 22 2000
If anyone is looking for a dos booting disk, or something related to the SINCLAIR (amstrad actually) PC200, mail me at PeetersBjorn31@hotmail.com. CYALL
Amstrad answers: A match made in heaven!


nvieira at 22:45:44 Thursday December 21 2000
here to find a copy of the pc200 sistem disk
Amstrad answers: See next question above


derrick davis in Mississippi,Meridian at 1:19:56 Thursday December 21 2000
every time I printer some thing it printer the name of the compter why
Amstrad answers: And exactly which model of Amstrad computer or Amstrad printer is it that is doing this?


Tim Day in Wagga Wagg, NSW, Australia at 3:7:29 Wednesday December 20 2000
Hi cliff, I'm in desperate need for boot disks, rescue disks...basically all that is provided with the pc3086 when new...your help is greatly appreciated! #:^)
Amstrad answers: But there was nothing particularly special about the 3086 boot discs, they were just a generic copy of MS-DOS 3.3 (if I remember rightly, or was it MS-DOS 5?). Anyway you should be able to start that machine using a set of floppies from ANY PC as long as you ensure that they are 720K and not 1.44MB format disks. Even if you run the very latest Windows operating systems you can start a "DOS box" and give the command (using a blank floppy!): FORMAT A: /S /F:720 in order to create a disk that can be used to boot the 3086.


willem in amersfoort or groningen(holland) at 8:53:28 Tuesday December 19 2000
all Amstrad monitors are 14" select "SVGA 800x600" and that will be fine. that is wath you website says. but I want to run linux on it. I know how to configure it, but I need the hHz vHz so I can run X right. the conf file looks like this HorizSync 80.0-91.1 VertRefresh 75-85 (this is a newer monitor tho:-)) this is the stuff that was written on the back: vlg:1046 sr.NO 3410304 vom 08.01.1987 I hope you can help me
Amstrad answers: Sorry but this level of detail was never published about those monitors (cos, basically, they just worked with the PCs they were supplied with). So, unfortunately, I'm unable to help.


Christian in French Paris at 22:29:26 Monday December 18 2000
J seach a bios for HD controller carte for AMSTRAD PC1640 a file for eprom = 8 KB and a checksum = F400. Thank YOU
Amstrad answers: You may find that www.cpc.co.uk still stock the 1640 BIOS ROM but if they don't then I'm afraid I don't know where you could get a copy. As you might imagine we don't have any of those really old computers left any more cos otherwise I could have stuck the ROM in an EPROM reader and sent you a copy.


Andrew Gibbons in London at 17:9:8 Monday December 18 2000
Does the Amstrad e-mailer send SMS text messages? It says it does on the box, but the intruction booklet doesn't mention this! What would be the address form...?
Amstrad answers: It most certainly does. Just press the [Mobile] and [Email] keys together to get into the SMS compose screen then type in the destination phone number and your message, then press [Email] again. (Note: This requires that you have version 9 software - check [Setup],1 to see what level your phone is currently at. If it is less than V9 then you can force it to dial to get a software update by pressing the [Symbol] + [Shift] + [Email] keys together on the pull-out keyboard. Then just keep doing this until you get it up to V9. (If you just email normally then it should go out and get these updates during the night anyway).


Anon in Twickenham, Middlesex at 14:39:58 Monday December 18 2000
Years ago I played a game on an Amstrad called Dig Dog - or Dig Dog Doo! Is it available to download? Martin
Amstrad answers: I think it was "Dig-dug" in fact. It was a game on the PC1512 where you had to dig through the "soil" picking up objects but avoiding the other burrowers? Unfortunately that one would ONLY work on the 1512 as it was written to use its weird and wonderful graphics mode. However it was really just a re-write of an old arcade game anyway so if you get an arcade machine emulator for your PC (and they don't come any better than MAME!) you'll be able to get the ROM image for the "real" Dig-dug arcade game that is even better than that 1512 version.


Marian Stoicescu in Romania at 22:34:58 Sunday December 17 2000
please a need a scheme about seting some jumpers for one model at AMSTRAD ALT 286... need help fast ..pls ... replay me .. !! on AdyMAr2001@yahoo.com
Amstrad answers: I don't understand why you're asking the question. Those settings are ALREADY on this site here.


Nestor Vinyes in CATALONIA at 18:36:29 Sunday December 17 2000
Merry Xmas to all! My question is : Does anyone know where could i get a program called "counterpoint" which originally came with the amstrad pc5086 ?
Amstrad answers: You have to be kidding me! Counterpoint was possibly the worst thing inflicted on the computer buying public at large, ever! In fact I thought it was so awful I deliberately destroyed any copies I had. Anyway, it was only a "poor man's Windows" and in this day and age I presume most people have a computer that's powerful enough to run the "real thing"? You're not seriously still using an 8086 machine are you? (In fact the very fact that you accessed this web site suggests you must have a "real" PC these days).


Wayne in uuuh.........................got a map? at 14:11:22 Friday December 15 2000
Heya I dug out my old amstrad the other day and started to try a bit of basic. Now i want to learn more basic but is there a program to use on the amstrad so i can hear and alter sounds to make music. I have an Amstrad CPC 464,no printer, no Disc drive just the keyboard and monitor. so if there is a program can you email the BASIC coding to me please, and can you give me a little list of what the CALL commands actually do eg. CALL &BE76 etc and tell me what they are if you can't thats ok i know basic can be a bit of a pain. Thanx a lot Wayne.
Amstrad answers: Do you know the really annoying thing is that someone sent me a link to their excellent web site in just the last couple of months were they had got full details about using CPC BASIC. It would have been excellent for you, but I just cannot find it in my Outlook inbox so I think your best hope would be to just try entering keywords such as "programming Amstrad CPC BASIC" into a good search engine (try www.search.com) and see if you can locate something. As for listing the possible CALL functions. The fact is that they were all documented in "the CPC464 firmware manual", a book that ran to about 500 pages so I'm afraid I'm not going to retype all that here! However I'm pretty sure that someone has scanned/OCrd/HTMLd the text and put it up as a web page somewhere too but I'm not sure where that is either so it may be worth searching. A good place to start would be to read the FAQ for the comp.sys.amstrad.8bit newsgroup also, try starting at the CPC page on this web site and follow the links to the CPC webring which links TONS of sites devoted to the CPC.


Robin England in Oxfordshire at 17:30:50 Thursday December 14 2000
Dear Cliff, very impressed with your site and wealth of information therein. However, I can't find what I'm looking for so I hope you can help. Can you give me the pinouts of the Amstrad 3" floppy drive (interface connector) as used in the PCW9512 and PCW8512. This would be of great help. Thanks in advance, Robin.
Amstrad answers: Well since you asked so nicely: (I got these from the CPC6128 circuit diagram but the PCW drives should have an identical pin out:

 Pin 1		_Ready
 Pin 3		_Side 1 Select
 Pin 5		_Read Data
 Pin 7		_Write protect
 Pin 9		_Track 0
 Pin 11		_Write Gate
 Pin 13		_Write Data
 Pin 15		_Step
 Pin 17		_Direction Select
 Pin 19		_Motor On
 Pin 21		+5V
 Pin 23		_Drive select 1
 Pin 25		_Drive select 0
 Pin 27		_Index
 Pin 29		+5V
 Pin 31		+5V
 Pin 33		+5V

 In the above '_' indicates that these are negative logic.
 All even numbered pins (2..34) are Gnd. 
Hope this is OK for you.


Benjamin in France at 8:55:50 Thursday December 14 2000
how can I configure my dmp2160 printer and my PC to use it under windows?
Amstrad answers: Return to the top of this page. Have a look at that box where you typed in this question. Notice anything? Did you not see the word STOP! or the link to information about printer drivers? Please pay attention at the back!


Nordin Bin Mohamed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 7:40:43 Thursday December 14 2000
please info about computer hardware for receiving via satelite tv network.
Amstrad answers: Amstrad do not make such a product (well I suppose we do really, our DRX100 and DRX200 digital TV set top boxes are really computers when you think about it I suppose!)


Jamie Ward in Edinburgh at 12:14:42 Wednesday December 13 2000
I have 4 discs here from an Amstrad PCW9512. Would be grateful if somebody could tell me where in the UK (pref. Scotland) I can transfer these to .txt files for PC (or closest option) - end target is to use them as formatted Microsoft Word but I don't mind doing this from the .txt's
Amstrad answers: See the PCW page. For just 4 discs the easy answer is a bureau who will do the copying for you.


melki ihsen in tunisia at 0:38:57 Wednesday December 13 2000
i look for a software to update my reciver(xena1500) to became (xena1501) so please show me sites to download this software what's the software that links an aston reciver to a pc many thinks
Amstrad answers: Sorry but WHAT are you talking about? Amstrad has never made a "Xena1500" receiver.


kev in Dunstable, Beds at 23:46:7 Tuesday December 12 2000
Can anyone help me? I have an alt 386sx and It suddenly stopped booting up. It actually behaves in different ways. Some times it will give me a screen and goes through the power on checks, displays a flashing cursor and then hangs and dosen't continue any further. Most times though i get beeps, 2 quick 3 slow and a blank screen and nothing else. I hope someone can help me on this matter because it is a good little computer. Thanks Kev
Amstrad answers: Hi, 'fraid I don't have the specific list of ALT beep codes (though the list of beeps for the "generic" Phoenix BIOS used to be on the web (but don't ask me where!). However, 99 times out of 100 beeps of any sort almost always mean either a RAM fault or a graphic adaptor fault so those are thw two areas to concentrate on. For example, are the memory modules seated correctly?


John Hayward in Portsmouth, Hants at 22:33:52 Tuesday December 12 2000
anywhere I can download a version of MS Word for Windows 3.1 that wil work on a 386??
Amstrad answers: Suggest you try www.microsoft.com. However Microsoft generally don't bother to support "old" hardware/software so you might be better off looking for some other shareware/public domain WP that was written in the Win3.1 era.


Jim Blaikie in Lymington at 22:29:46 Tuesday December 12 2000
I have a 9512 with daisy wheel printer. It is not printing even though the ribbon is new and the mechanism seems to be fine. A friend did get it going for a while, but cannot remember how he did it. The machine has stopped printing again.
Amstrad answers: The most regular reason for the "death" of a PCW daisywheel printer is a micro-fracture in the print-head hammer mechanism. which means that it isn't delivering enough force to put an imprint onto the paper any more. It needs the print head to be replaced. Some of the companies I list on the spares/manuals page of this site specialise in PCW repairs and may be able to help.


Julian Bruno in los mochis at 20:21:28 Tuesday December 12 2000
driver ymf719e-s
Amstrad answers: Is that a Yamaha sound card by any chance. You might find something on www.yamaha.com, however I think that may be a VERY old soundcard that can't even play WAV files so, if I were you I'd put in a "modern" sound card instead. Entry level cards are only £5 !!


imen sanni in London at 18:4:16 Tuesday December 12 2000
defination of operating system and central processing unit (CPU)
Amstrad answers: Which model of Amstrad do you mean? I can't help thinking that you may be one of these "biometric" barn pots. If so you know my policy! If not, I apologise.


M.Khan at 13:3:51 Tuesday December 12 2000
How has the technoloy of Amsrad computers changed over the past 20 years in the home of every day people?
Amstrad answers: No, if you bought one of our computers 20 years ago (well, 17 actually as we only started making computers in 1984!) then as long as it is still running I think I can predict that the technology in it has not changed (it's not like silicon grows over time or something!). Or did you mean is the technology used in product today more advanced than the technology used 17 years ago. However if you had to ask that question I can only assume you've been living in a cardboard box on the surface of Mars for the last 17 years!


Franz Roessler in Germany - Thuringia - Erfurt at 11:24:54 Tuesday December 12 2000
Please, can you send to me with e-Mail or Fax the jumper settings for slave operation for the Sony HDD mode SRD3080c-50 (Armstrad 80 MB HDD PT. No. 157 Z00-41182). (Fax +49-36450-39392). Many thanks and best regards Franz Roessler E-mail: franz@dacafe.com Fax. +49-36450-39392
Amstrad answers: Sorry but I can't as I no longer have such a drive to refer to. Is there nothing on the Sony site? Actually, in my experience of IDE drives, I've found it's pretty much always the case that if you are going to use a drive in the simple configuration (a stand-alone "master") then you generally don't need any jumpers fitted. (Of course, I'll bet this Sony drive is the exception that proves the rule!)


Ilkka Havukkala in New Zealand at 2:30:18 Tuesday December 12 2000
Beginner's question on old Amstrad: My father in Finland has a new Pentium PC, but still has an old Amstrad PC1640 (8MHz, 8086 CPU, 640kb RAM, 1.2 kbs modem, flexible floppy drive). What is the easiest way to transfer some old text etc files from the AMSTRAD? Special cable from the printer port + some special software? Grateful for advice or pointers. Ilkka (now in New Zealand, going to Finland for Xmas)
Amstrad answers: Well you could use the simplest serial terminal program and connect the machines using their RS232 ports and then just Zmodem the files across. However for a much more "cosmetic" solution that will work a LOT faster I'd highly recommend Laplink which will connect the machines via their parallel ports and has a good user interface for selecting batches of files to transfer. Another idea would be to take the 360K floppy from the 1640 and te,mporarily add it as a second drive to the Pentium and then (having set the BIOS for 360K) read the 1640 floppy disks directly. You could put the drive back into the 1640 afterwards. Yet another idea is that if you run a decent version of MS-DOS at either end (DOS 5 or 6.x) then you can use the DOS INTERLNK command and wire a parallel cable as shown in the DOS HELP command. I've actually been quite impressed with INTERLNK when I didn't have a copy of Laplink handy as what it basically does is make the drive(s) at one end look like additional drives (E:, F:,...) on the other machine then you just use the normal DOS COPY and XCOPY commands to transfer files.


Craig Cooper in Launceston Tasmania at 4:56:23 Monday December 11 2000
who is the Amstrad notepad dealer in Tasmania Australia.. Who can I ask about problems with an Amstrad
Amstrad answers: Amstrad no longer make the notepad (or ANY computers for that matter) so I'm afraid we do not have a dealer in Tasmania. If you need a spare part to repair a unit then there's a very vague possibility that www.cpc.co.uk may have the part in stock but since it is now around 5 years since Amstrad sold a computer of any sort the likelihood of them having parts is probably diminishing.


Les Bell at 11:42:5 Saturday December 9 2000
Is there a way of transferring files (for backup) from an Amsstrad word processor onto an iMac?
Amstrad answers: I have to admit that I don't know a great deal about Mac's but I sort of assume that they must be able to read MS-DOS format discs. There are a number of ways of getting PCW data onto MS-DOS disks as detailed on the PCW page so I presume that if, for example, you get a bureau to copy the data for you then the disks they produce wil be equally as readable in a Mac as they are in a PC (but, like I say, I can't swear to it).


gj at 21:59:29 Wednesday December 6 2000
need munual for the amstrad fx 6000 at
Amstrad answers: Try www.cpc.co.uk but failing that contact support@amstrad.com and see if they know of any other company that may stock spare copies of the Amstrad manuals.


Mark Johns in Chippenham,Wilts at 19:33:22 Wednesday December 6 2000
My Amstraad PC9486 has crashed, and is asking for a reboot diskette to restart, and I don't have one!! Is there anyone out there who could assist me? Thanks
Amstrad answers: Well you should be able to at least boot that PC using ANY version of MS-DOS, PC-DOS, DR-DOS or a Windows system floppy. Assuming you know someone else with a PC just ask them to put a blank floppy into their machine and give the command FORMAT A: /S followed by XCOPY \DOS A: which should produce a bootable floppy and copy some of the DOS utilities onto it (you may need more than one floppy to get them all). Having said all that it could be that the 9486 just needs to be told the hard drive type number and then it will "see" its own hard drive anyway. So try that first.


Dave U in Bletchley Bucks UK at 1:54:29 Wednesday December 6 2000
Hi again Cliff, Another day, another machine, another problem. I've heard that its possible to connect an old floppy drive from a PCW9512 to a PC & that there's a shareware prog able to read PCW discs in a PC. The person who told me this, shortly afterwards fell off the bar stool & was escorted home by his nearest & dearest & she wasn't keen for me to pursue the conversation. He's not been seen since. So, do you know of (or where I might obtain) the pinouts for a PCW floppy drive/PC floppy drive & the relevant shareware prog?..... Dun Searchin'.... goin' to bed.... Best regards Dave U
Amstrad answers: Hi, I answered this via email but for the benfits of others I'd suggest a read of the FAQ for the comp.sys.amstrad.8bit newsgroup that should have full details about connecting up 3" drives and the 22DISK program that is need to read CP/M disks on a PC.


greg at 0:55:1 Wednesday December 6 2000
Is there a card scaner that can read & modifie the new hu cards from direct tv and if so here could i get one
Amstrad answers: And the relevance of this question to Amstrad computers is??...


sbc at 20:37:10 Tuesday December 5 2000
I have a very old computer, I think it is a AMSTRAD ppc640. When I start it, it says:
-->ADP50 Hard disk controller error
-->Amstrad Portable PC 512k (v 2.1)
-->(c) 1987 Amstrad plc

Can anybody send me the system files? sbcools@hotmail.com
Amstrad answers: Better yet, they're on this web site. Go to the file download page and get the ppcdisks.zip archive.


SHIRLEY QUINN at 17:16:38 Monday December 4 2000
HOW CAN I TELL WHAT MODEL MY MONITER IS?I CAN'T GET TO SHOW IN 256 COLORS.
Amstrad answers: There's usually a sticky label in the middle of the back of it but I can tell you for nothing that almost every monitor ever made can show millions of colours. It isn't the monitor that limits the number of colours you see but the graphics adapter you are using and which mode it is run in. So I'd suggest that's where your problem lies. You didn't say but in this day and age I kind of guess that you are trying to run Windows 9x? If that's the case your lack of colours probably means you haven't installed the right driver for the graphics card you are using.


Danny Ross in Warwickshire, England at 11:28:40 Monday December 4 2000
My Amstrad ALT386sx floppy disk has gone wrong, an will not read any of my disk, including 320K's, 720k's 1.2mb's or 1.44mb's. I cannot find another floppy drive, because it uses an old style connecter (ie. pre fdd) because it takes power through the ribbon cable. It also will not boot off the hard disk, and i havn't got the special cable needed for the floopy drive extension socket on its side. Please help Dannyr@atarist.com
Amstrad answers: It should be possible to use a modern, standard floppy drive on the machine but, as you've spotted it doesn't have the separate power connector cable so you'll probably need to make up a "splitter" cable to take power that normally just runs to the HD and feed this to the floppy on its separate power connector.


LB in UK at 23:48:4 Sunday December 3 2000
Just a really quick question. Dug out my old CPC6128, but no manual, what is the command to load from a tape drive? Cheers xxx
Amstrad answers: Try:

|TAPE
RUN""

Where that | symbol is typed using the key to the right of P.


Scarlac at 10:37:44 Saturday December 2 2000
When I go to hypernate mode in windows 98 it shuts down like it would do if it worked, but when i turn on the computer, the system boots perfect, like it does in win2k but it doens't show anything on the screen, it's like my graphics card forgot to awake from hypernate state... I'we got some of the newest hardware awalible, athlon 850 geforce 256 and soundblaster live 1024, mounted on an asus A7V mainboard.
Amstrad answers: As far as I know Amstrad never made a computer that shipped with a copy of Windows 98. Wouldn't microsoft.com be the right people to ask about the foibles of their weird and whacky operating system?


Roger in Tennessee, USA at 4:40:30 Saturday December 2 2000
Please help with my Toshiba T4700CS... I can't get past the password prompt. It won't recognise the floppy. How do I disable the password restriction??? I got at an estate sale & they forgot the password. I could use it for school. Please e-mail me if you can help
Amstrad answers: As this has nothing to do with Amstrad might I suggest a visit to toshiba.com?


vlad at 13:38:21 Friday December 1 2000
I was wondering if the e-mailer phone works in Canada...If anybody can reply it would be greatly appreciated.
Amstrad answers: Currently the ONLY country where the e-mailer works is the UK. This is because the phone number it calls to connect to the @amserve.net system is a UK number that cannot be dialled from abroad. We will ultimately be looking to run similar services in other countries but it's UK only for the time being.


anna at 1:44:52 Friday December 1 2000
Would it be useful to put retinal scanners in atm machines so that only the person's who's bank account it is has acess to the money and people don't have to worry about their money being stolen?
Amstrad answers: And the reason you think I have an opinion on this is??....


John Hayward in http://website.lineone.net/~dustbin2000/ at 23:26:10 Thursday November 30 2000
Visit my new web site for the ultimate guide to scavanging computers from the rubbish dump.

http://website.lineone.net/~dustbin2000/

I'd appreciate and comments or experiences!
Amstrad answers: There you go, I've turned that URL into a "live" link.


joe at 17:36:12 Thursday November 30 2000
How can I make my presario 2286 faster
Amstrad answers: Crikey, did Amstrad make a computer called a Presario, my mind must be going, I don't remember it! The fact is that if you have any form of 80286 based computer then GIVE UP NOW. You are not going to make it run faster without spending oodles of bucks and the entire machine is probably only worth about $10-$15 as it is. Considering that you can now pick up late 486 and early Pentium machines for about $50 would seem to suggest that changing machine would be a FAR better solution!


Min at 14:33:47 Thursday November 30 2000
If you have Yamaha YMF719E-S driver please send me via e-mail. Thank you very much
Amstrad answers: No I don't. Which model of Amstrad computer was this Yamaha part used in? Is there some reason why yamaha.com can't supply the driver?


fat bloke at 20:38:58 Tuesday November 28 2000
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STUPID PEOPLE PLACING IDENTICAL POSTS??

A laptop computer is light weight, looks cool and is bttery powered and can be used anywhere, especially in field applications or presentations. PC cards are standard computer peripheral minaturised to fit into the small expansion bus of most modern laptop systems.

SCSI is a high speed protocol for storage like hard disks, CD drives and the like, its ideal for applications in servers where data needs to be retrieved over a network quickly.

the is NO SUCH THING AS A BIO METRIC PEN

GET THE PICTURE?????

DOES ANYONE NOT UNDERSTAND??????????

thanks lets get back to normal.
Amstrad answers: Hi, thanks for that, you said what I was thinking. As it happens I've removed the majority of these fatuous questions about fecking "biometric pens" but I swear if I receive another one I'm going out with a gun!


raymond mcnamee in dublin at 15:51:22 Tuesday November 28 2000
i have a pcw16,I lost the rescue disc. so i down loaded it from this site and its not working f****** pice of sh*t . im getting this mes on pcw16 fatal os checksum error ,insert ,rescue disc.press power,so i did and got a new message new mes bootstrap error insert rescue disc?????? can any one Hellp me thanks very must .......
Amstrad answers: Normally I'd go out of my way to be helpful to Amstrad users but as you choose to be openly offensive I'm afraid you just blew your chance. Sorry.


Vitor at 11:57:50 Monday November 27 2000
Hi, I'm Vitor from PORTUGAL (remember EXPO 98?) OK, i have an AMSTRAD DMP 4000. It should work with the EPSON FX100 driver but i can't disable biderectional support. The option is not enable. It's the same under Windows 98 or Millenium. Can you help? Thank's
Amstrad answers: Sorry but I don't know much about that driver. Its not one of these things that is relying on the port being set to ECP or EPP is it?


Pete at 3:22:31 Monday November 27 2000
Hi, I have an ancient (1992) Amstrad NC100 Notepad computer. I was wondering if you knew whether I could get access to software which will enable me to download word processing files on to IBM compatible computers. Thanks.
Amstrad answers: The NC100 already has this ability. You need to read the section about serial connections in the manual that tell you how to connect it up to a PC and transfer files using Xmodem.


Joan Anderson in Hamden, CT USA at 1:24:54 Monday November 27 2000
Where can I get replacement ribbons for the Amstrad PCW8256 printer? I'd appreciate any info you can give me since my mother is still using this machine. Thanks!
Amstrad answers: I don't know of anywhere in the States but if you look on my Printers page (rather than the PCW specific page) you'll find details of companies that supply ribbons for our other Amstrad printers here in the UK and I think the majority will also stock PCW ribbons.


eight at 5:46:13 Sunday November 26 2000
how can you copy from one pc to another pc with a cd writer
Amstrad answers: Same as with floppies, only the're bigger!


Christel in Philippines at 16:2:59 Saturday November 25 2000
hey...where do i see the answers coz i've the same questions as the ones below? i need explanations on how the following mechanisms work in security :biometric pens,fingerprint scanners and keystroke analysis design? could you answer immediately please...thanks!
Amstrad answers: BIOMETIRC PENS - THE REAL ANSWER:
(Not!)

Look buddy, you and your mates seem to have got the wrong end of the stick here. This web site is for asking Uncle Cliff about Amstrad computers, nothing more, nothing less. As stated at the top of the page I read and add replies when I can (which you would have seen if you'd bothered to read the rest of the questions / answers but then, if you'd done that you would probably have realised (I hope) that this is not a site where you are going to get answers to questions about freaking biometric bloody pens).
I haven't got even a half arsed notion what a "biometric pen" is. I simply don't know and it is unlikely that I will ever care.

Haven't you guys ever heard of search engines? The whole point of the internet, which is like an almost infinite encyclopaedia, is that if you want to know about something you visit a site such as www.search.com, type in a few keywords and then follow the links to read all about the thing you were interested in. You don't spam a web site dedicated only to Amstrad computers that has NOTHING to do with biometric pens as the only effect that achieves is to SEVERELY piss off the operator of said web site - me!

Uncle Cliff

P.S. I just typed "biometric pens" into www.search.com and within seconds was able to find out EXACTLY what one is. But, do you know what? I'm not going to tell any of ya!

If I was in charge of your class I'd give you all an F (for Failure!) because your inability to find the answer to these bloody trivial questions shows what a bunch of jerks you really are.


Jerry in Australia at 11:18:45 Friday November 24 2000
Answers? these are all questions
Amstrad answers: That WAS true until today!


Vadim Novikov in Ukraine at 8:44:39 Friday November 24 2000
May i take a circuit scheme of PC14HRCD or PC14HRCD/0 monitors?
Amstrad answers: Try www.cpc.co.uk they may well still have a service manual (including schematic) for those old monitors available.


Scott at 23:26:49 Thursday November 23 2000
Does anyone know how to access the bios on an old Amstrad 386sx?
Amstrad answers: Depends exactly whuch 386SX and which version of the BIOS. On things up to about the 3386SX with BIOS below version 2.4 you actually need a separate SETUP.EXE program but then, on later models, it does depend on exactly which model but there's a strong chance that Ctrl-Alt-S will get you into Setup. However on other machines it did involve a key press (maybe F1 or Del) during boot up to access it. (Most later machines actually say on-screen, during boot up, what you need to press).


mike in columbus ohio at 15:45:19 Thursday November 23 2000
i am trying to find info on memory cards. the manufacturer ic powmen thae bar code # are 2391 46472527. they are 4x32 i want to know if they are sdram. i would like to contact the manufacturer but i am not havung any luck
Amstrad answers: I can confirm that they weren't made by Amstrad.


Leslie Welch at 13:0:9 Thursday November 23 2000
Do you have an Amstrad Integra computer you wish to sell please e.mail if you have.
Amstrad answers: Personally, no. However maybe someone else out there has? Having said that are you sure you really want one. Technology has moved on a HELL of a lot since the Integra and almost all manufacturers now have a "multimedia" PC including a TV card these days. One of the downsides of the Integra was that it only have one and a half expansion slots so it was tricky to upgrade once you'd added a couple of things.


Jerry in Australia at 12:5:10 Thursday November 23 2000
I have an Amstrad PC5286 and I want to disable the onboard video so I can put a better , 16 bit, video card in. I don't know which switches to change.There are only 7 .

According to this site closing switch 4 will give it access to 16 bit ISA cards but I can't close it unless I add a wire or solder it closed
Amstrad answers: The details here are just copied verbatim from the user manual (by my own fair hand). I'm afraid I don't actually have a 5286 so cannot really add any more detail than that which I found in the manual.


Previous Questions and Answers

This collection of questions grew a bit big to download in a sensible time so the older questions and answers are archived under the following links. I suggest you have a read through them before posting a new question as you may find that your question has already been answered.

Although I've indexed some of the early files, I'm afraid you will have to just wade through the later ones. One day, maybe!

Index of previous questions

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