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MG MGF Technical - fao Rob, Paul, Tony

Guys (apologies if I should have included others i.e. Dieter, SF etc)

When I got my nearly 3 years ago I discovered this bbs after googling for MG owners clubs. Over the time I have derived much usefull info from here, the archive and various members sites including you 3.

We all try to help newcomers (and oldcomers) when we can but cannot always remember just where to point them.

Would you 3 be able to get together and create an index to the help files on your sites that could be kept somewhere standard (like FAQ or similar).

e.g. I had completely missed that Rob had added TF headlight adjustment to his site.

Maybe the index could also consolidate the various "usefull links" to specialists that don't advertise. MAYBE we should encourage them to advertise instead and just point people to the advertisers section.

There may already be such a document that I have missed in which case ... where is it.

I guess I could do it myself but I don't have a site where I could post it (so busy being IT Manager that I can't be ar$ed by the time I get home).

JohnP

What you're suggesting should be at the end of the FAQ link above, which currently doesn't go anywhere.
Will Munns

That's a good idea John - been meaning to sort the BBS MGFAQ for ages, but you know how it is time-wise.

Dieter has his search engine which works well enough - but for browsing purposes, perhaps an FAQ links page would work best?
Rob Bell

sorry guys, I was away checking the beach volleyball link from the elise site http://www.catch.com/comments/33988_0_17_0_M/

JohnP

I was thinking along these lines :


Air In-take Panel

Air Vents

Alarm - add Water Temp and Low Fuel

Boot Lid Stops

Boot Leaks

Boot Rack Luggage

BulkHead Leaks

Centre Console - removing

Compliance Washers

Buying Advice - New

Etc etc

This will appear stupid if they don't show as hyperlinks.
JohnP

They didn't!!!!!!
JohnP

Rob, I'll spend a few minutes tomorrow indexing from your site and creating tinyurls and email to you for your thoughts.

JohnP

Okay John - that's great. Might be a little slow getting back to you though: will be away from a computer for a couple of days...

PS remember new email address! :o)
Rob Bell

Myself and Rob did have plans to create a FAQ to replace the original bye Greg Hilton but unfortunately this never really got off the ground due outside forces as it were. However, what you are suggesting is a very good idea John. Will put some thought into this. ;-)
Paul Lathwell

Me's always open for new ideas ;)
This problem of index is known since the beginning of our MGFsite hosting... which wasn't organized .. cause it _is_ internet.

The solution is _search engine_ and meta tags put into the html page header.

Suggested this years ago, and did a test with the artificial word *mgfown* in y2000 to the meta content tag of some of my documents.

Result ?
Try http://www.google.com ´with search term "mgfown"
:)
Amazing, isn't it ?
You see also what the cr*p google does with advert links. Not my responsibility, btw.
web2.cylex.de and other professional advert companies.

Another early _never finished_ try was http://www.mgfcar.de/weblinks/pictures.htm
It's just wrong in the moment you upload, cause of changes at any of the 1000 documents. ;)

And my very last was the manual serviced FOC search engine
http://www.mgcc.de/mgf
App. 950 of our documents with total 300k index words are indexed there.

But the problem is and remaines the page design principals and html rules. I.e. JPG or GIF text buttons with the nam *button1* and grafic 'suspension' never get indexed with any search engine :)

CSS, Flash and other nice looking features fail aswell with search engines.
Missing index.htm in root folders, and so on and so on. This is the webmasters job.

I gave in ;)

Dieter K.

Need to correct

mgf search tool said:
-----------------
Date and time of your last completed re-index: Friday August 13, 2004 1:18 AM

According to the spider logs, your search index contains 938 documents. A total number of 488674 words were found and indexed. 1221685 word-endings were created.
-----------------
I let it re-crawl this night and post later what it found.


Dieter K.

JohnP,

I like the idea, but I see the problem more as keeping it up to date.

I agree with Dieter about Meta tags. All my servicing pages (he says with confidence ;-) - must check!!?! ) include meta tags such as "MGF,car,maintenance,gear,change,gaiter", the prime one being of course MGF. The idea is that search engines like Google are geared to picking these up, so why re-invent the wheel?

Having said that, maybe I need to update my links page?

Tony

PS: JohnP - your initial list looks very familiar. :-)
Tony

Perhaps a useful stop-gap at least would be to have the current FAQ link point to a page that is little more than a links page. The links from there could be restricted to useful/popular F/TF based websites that are dealing with FAQ kinda issues?

JohnP,

>I guess I could do it myself but I don't have a site where I could post it (so busy being IT Manager that I can't be ar$ed by the time I get home).

If you are willing to give it a try then I'd be happy to host the page until such a time as it's proven to work and easy enough to maintain. Once you get beyond this I'm sure Mike Plumstead would be willing to host the page here and replace the current FAQ link?

Paul Lathwell @ Sue's PC. :)
Sue

Paul@Sue I'll start it off over the weekend and see how it looks.

Tony - I hope you didn't think I was going to reinvent the wheel?

JohnP

JohnP,

Nah, square ones aren't much use !!! :-)

Seriously, it's not a bad idea, since it can only add to the accessibilty of those vital bits of info that we all at times search for.

Paul, ( or would you prefer to be known in future as Sue??? )

Once you get something up an running, I can add a link to it from my site.

regards
Tony
Tony

I think this is excellent idea,as awful lot of good info in archives,hope it can be sorted out,Dave
DC Morris T6 DCM

@ Tony,

http://www.apttony.co.uk/Servicing/
;I

index.htm missing :)
And robots.txt to the root :)
Dieter K.

Hey...I like my pretty 'front end'.....no skipping round the back door ! :-)

Tony
Tony

>no skipping round the back door ! :-)

LOL !! ... but that's what search engines like to do.
Dieter K.

John, how's things progressing?
Rob Bell

Took a tip from you Rob and stayed away from PC a bit - Monday was my birthday and 3 grandsons came round to terrorise me. Back on stream now. Also, bought myself a smallish digital camera on Saturday as I seem to be the only MGF/TF owner without one! Only needed a BIOS upgrade and a USB 2 card installed and I can even download images to my own PC - one at work was much newer and worked OK.
JohnP

LOL John! Happy (albeit belated) Birthday! :o)

Had some PC 'fun' over the weekend myself. I've inherited an old 400MHz P3 PC, and have been busy upgrading it. It now has more memory, a decent sized harddisc and a nice DVD-burner...

Coming way way way off topic - got a problem with the wireless network PCI card: the PC doesn't seen to even see it - and the card doesn't seem to be getting power. Card is apparently okay - as it works fine in another PC. Any suggestions chaps?
Rob Bell

Rob

If you know make/model of motherboard, I would suggest starting by getting latest BIOS flash upgrade. If pc is a couple of years old it may not immeadiately be wireless ready.

Same way that mine was not quite uptodate on USB versions but was fixed by BIOS flash.
JohnP

I'd better drop you an email John!
Rob Bell

Rob,
Could be it's not seated properly
Mike
Mike (London Office)

Also quite common for one of the slots to be corroded/dirty/faulty after all this time - do you still have a can of contact cleaner? try that, then try swapping slots with another card.
Will Munns

ok Rob

Try jponting at globalnet dot co dot uk if you want to.
JohnP

Mike, Will, I thought about that - and that can of contact cleaner has been put to good use - but to no avail sadly. I've tried an old modem in the same slots - and of course the OS (Win XP) recognises that straightaway! Argh!

Thought about a seating problem... checked, double checked and tripple checked. Still no joy. I even ensured that all the printed card contacts were square with the pins on the sockets.

You can tell I've had hours of fun with this can't you?

Just had a quick trawl of the net - a Bios problem could result in problems with wireless LAN PCI cards - so this could be a line of investigation - but to be honest, this really really really looks as though there is a contact problem as none of the data lights illuminate as expected when the card is slotted in.

What I might do next is remove all the programs that I installed - double check in safe mode, and then repeat the installation process. Probably won't get any more joy, but it is worth doing before messing with the motherboard's bios.
Rob Bell

hope you're right Rob about a contact problem but ... if XP finds a modem in that slot but not your lan then I would be looking for a BIOS update asap. Do you know the make/model of mbd? Do they have a site? If not do you know the chipset manufacturer? They will have a site. My BIOS update just installed from a windows exec file and needed a restart.

BTW have you up'd to XP SP2 yet? Huge download, will be on cover disks this month or I could mail a copy on CD if you need it. If broadband then just go for it. So far, I've updated 5 pcs without probs and SP2 is reversable.

JohnP

The card may be a 3.3 volt type (look at the connector - does it have two cut slots?) the modem is almost defo a 5 volt card - so the slot may not be giving 3.3 volts correctly. Using another card in the slot does not prove the slot works totally.
Will Munns

Will, you could be right - I'll inspect the card again when I get home tonight - but IIRC it does have two slots cut into it. If this is the case - is there a solution?

John, with regard to the mother board - unfortunately, the PC was one of those unbranded PCs that one often finds - built up from various parts lying around etc etc. I have spoken to the chap who originally supplied it over 4 years ago- and unsurprisingly, he can't remember this particular machine. Had a look at the mother board when I was playing with it: no obvious manufacturer's markings. Anywhere in particular I ought to be paying special attention to to find this information? Or will the info I need be on the printed side of the PCB rather than the component side that is visible? I will clearly need to know this information if the BIOS is to be upgraded sucessfully.

Not tried SP2 yet ...
Rob Bell

>> Will, you could be right - I'll inspect the card again when I get home tonight - but IIRC it does have two slots cut into it. If this is the case - is there a solution? <<

Useful site just found: http://www.manhattan-support.com/faq/index.php?sid=26412&aktion=artikel&rubrik=014&id=53&lang=en

Rob Bell

WiFi card has two slots - but so does the old modem - so presumably they're both 3.3V PCI adapters?

Will be going through the software uninstall/reinstall routine - and then looking at the Bios. Anything else I ought to be looking at?
Rob Bell


Bios is most common issue here Rob.
I've access to a few resources that might help. ;-)
P.
Paul Nothard

Cheers Paul :o)

Looks as though I have a SIS530 chipset with a PS21 BIOS ...

What's the next step chaps?
Software approach predictably hasn't worked out :o(
Rob Bell

Rob

I was going to point you at http://www.wimsbios.com/ May still be usefull to confirm your BIOS and chipset.
JohnP

Rob

www.sis.com , Drivers , Identify your product (runs online) , several Wireless LAN driver packs.
JohnP

I have that sinking feeling that I am attempting to flog a dead nag - but I'll follow this up before admitting defeat and installing an ethernet port card!

Thanks to Paul last night, managed to identify the BIOS as an Award chip. I now need to identify the motherboard manufacturer - found this useful site: http://www.motherboards.org/articles/tech-planations/13_1.html - gives similar info to the wims site you've mentioned John :o)
I've found the mother board number (it's at home now of course!) - now need to look it up!

Cheers all!
Rob Bell

So I can find the right page later - Award BIOS strings: http://www.wimsbios.com/numbers.shtml
Rob Bell

And the esupport.com URL: http://www.esupport.com/forms/leads/bios_upgradeform3.cfm

For my next trick, I'll see if I can download the appropriate BIOS, and fingers crossed!
Rob Bell

Great. I feel as though I ought to don a dear stalker and call myself Shearlock Holmes! >:o[

Have now identified the motherboard as being an Enlight Corp ENPC PS21 (v1.0) with the SiS 530 chipset (a Micro ATX)
None of the ENPC websites - as far as I can tell - remain current - so no downloads... arghhhh!!!

Help?
Rob Bell

looks close to end of the road Rob ... I found this comment on the video drivers:

SIS 530 video drivers - It was released by SIS in mid-2000 and probably won't be updated again.

or you could ask these guys : support@sis.com.tw

JohnP


Rob / John,

SIS only do the chipset. They don't do the BIOS. :-(
Enlight only make the boxes but bung ENPC boards in.

ENPC are the peeps you want who seem to be a Tiawanese firm who have gone bust. Ooops.

Here are some potentially hokey BIOS upgrades to try:
http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/enpc/bios/index.html
Here's a manual:
http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/enpc/manuals/PS21-A.exe

It's worth a shot looking at the BIOS, but I'd spend a tenner on ebay and get a better m'board. :o)

P.

ps. Skip was removed Rob. Following up another lead. :)
Paul Nothard

Paul, I'm aware of the difference between bios and chipset upgrades - 32 years in IT has taught me some things.

I make a point of keeping on top of chipset drivers for our work machines as well as BIOS. I may not always install them but I make sure I have them in case newer hardware is not recognised or newer opsys has problems. Wireless lan cards came out a couple of years after Rob's mbd was manufactured so he will be struggling and both avenues are worth following.

I also agree, that a mbd 5-6 years old should be replaced with something more compatible with modern hardware and needs. Also, wireless networking is far more likely to work properly after installing SP2 - but hardware has to be 'seen' first of course.

Paul, just opened the manual - 1998? Wireless?

Rob, looks like you need to spend a few pounds on something other than the F and the kitchen!!
JohnP

As a parting shot - this is where I go first for drivers - and BIOS is basicly motherboard drivers:

http://www.driverguide.com/
Will Munns

Sorry if I am teaching granny to suck eggs, but try the card in an other slot. Often the PC/Bios make assumptions about certain slots and alocate IRQs long before the OS can get to them. Slot 2 is often a culpret of this!
Steve Ratledge

Steve, this granny (grandad actually) loves eggs in any form and is always ready to learn better ways to eat them. :-)
JohnP

Thanks Steve - I've already tried all the available slots to no avail :o(

Have contacted esupport to see what they say with regard to BIOS upgrades...

I think a new motherboard is going to be the way forward unfortunately - I guess I could use the present one in another box with an ethernet wire connection to the hub...

To give you all an idea of how ancient the BIOS really is - it doesn't recognise more than 32MB of HD space...

Thanks for the additional links chaps - I'll check them out :o) I read somewhere that BIOS upgrades for other motherboard manufacturers can work well on others so long as they use the same chipset ... but this is a long way from what I have previously been comfortable with using computers. May need some expert assistance if it comes to this!

Once again, thanks to everyone's help here! :o)
Rob Bell

> I read somewhere that BIOS upgrades for other motherboard manufacturers can work well on others so long as they use the same chipset ...

LAST RESORT ONLY

Changing the BIOS is a one way trip - if it doesn't work there is no way to back it out except for reflashing the old BIOS, but to do this you have to have a working BIOS (catch22!)

Only on a very few machines is there a 'dual bios' which recovers if you have knackered the normal BIOS.

Will Munns

Ah, but apparently most BIOS have a non-flashable region that should, at a minimum, allow the floppy or hard disc to recover the diaster - but I completely agree - this is not an approach for the feint hearted, and if it comes to this, then I'll not bother!
Rob Bell

>> Paul, I'm aware of the difference between bios and chipset upgrades - 32 years in IT has taught me some things.
-- Cool. :-) 32 years beats me.

Paul, just opened the manual - 1998? Wireless?
-- <grin> Say no more.
--
-- ebay is calling you Rob! ;-)
Paul Nothard

LOL thanks Paul! I reckon you're right...

BTW - that down load site - it has a BIOS download for this motherboard of mine - but is it for the SIS530 chipset?
Rob Bell

Back on topic... :-)

If anyone is thinking about doing a links page to try to pull to gether as much of the web based info as possible, then you should be aware that as far as i can tell there is no way to directly link to any of the pages on the sfforever rebuild gallery.

You can link to the images directly, but the pages with the associated text are .asp files and i have yet to figure out how to link to them.

Personally i think it's a great idea and am up for helping anyone whi want's to take this further.

SF
Scarlet Fever

As soon as I stop talking about wireless networking, bios flashes, trips to France, the declining sales figures here at work etc I shall start with a simplified index showing where people can look and then get together with you guys.
JohnP

LOL - nice one John. Then, perhaps when you've done that, do you think you can work out the solution for global warming, and bring about world peace?
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 26/08/2004 and 02/09/2004

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.