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Show New software helps keep computer hardware in line By ERICH HUBER Now "advanced users" of personal per-sonal computers can diagnose their computers problems with special software designed to check, verify and protect everything on the PC. The user who wants to test the alignment of floppy disk drives in an IBM personal computer or in a compatible machine can now do so in a matter of minutes without using an oscilloscope. New software is designed to check, verify and detect hardware problems that could affect general performance in IBM personal computers com-puters and compatible machines. These new pieces of software are from DIAGsoft.a relatively young company in Scotts Valley, Calif. QAPIus can check, verify and protect everything on the IBM PC or compatible except the power cord. QAPIus solves system problems prob-lems without costly service charges and delays and pinpoints system problems to help speed repairs. Retail price is about $160. QAFloppy software with Dysan's HRD test disk gives highest resolution evaluation of floppy disk drives available. The home or office user who uses QAFloppy gets a set of utility software soft-ware that checks parameters of floppy drive type and computer architecture, plus the number of "read and write" retries and the drive step rate assignment. QAFloppy retails at about $300. Personal computer users who want to evaluate the strengths or weaknesses of different personal computers can now do so by slip ping POWER METER floppy disk into a personal computer and begin the new program. The new software incorporates 22 tests for system, memory, disk and video display performances. QAClean goes beyond the traditional tradi-tional stationary disk head cleaning system by providing software head control. By moving the disk heads back and forth across the cleaning disk surface, the heads get the best possible cleaning short of a complete com-plete disk disassembly by a technician. techni-cian. Whether cleaning and monitoring a personal computer or comparing performance characteristics of several kinds of personal computers, com-puters, these new advances in software soft-ware allow the advanced user to make better and more rapid choices about computer repair and even purchase of new or used machines. |
