DTM/3D Systems Sinterstation DOS box problem

From: Lohfeld, Stefan <stefan.lohfeld_at_nuigalway.ie>
Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 16:59:04 +0000

Hi All,

We have a Sinterstation 2500plus with the old DOS box, installed about year 2000. I'm currently facing a communication problem between the two computers.

Whenever I start Sinter, the communication with the DOS box fails. Everything seems to be fine with the scanner computer and the FrankBDS scanner software, as it start normally and awaits connection with the Windows PC. However, when I run "Sinter" on the attached PC, the DOS box screen lists an error and shows the prompt.
This happens all the time. The "Sinter" software shows "communication with scanner failed", but it can't be fixed by the routing we use when this error message comes up from time to time.

I figured that the FrankBDS software on the DOS box exits. It shows "invalid media type reading drive D", but actually, there is no drive D. In DOS I can swap to d:, but when I enter DIR, I again get the error message "invaIid media type reading drive D". When I check the drive with FDISK, I can see there are two partitions on the HDD, one is C, and there is a second one nearly the same size, but unnamed (no drive letter) and obviously not formatted.
Should there be one? Not physically, obviously, as there is only one HDD and one floppy disk drive in the case. But is Sinter expecting something on D:, so it crashes everytime Sinter is being started?

Could anyone of you running a Sinterstation and the old DOS box whether there is a D: partition and which files are on it, if any? Maybe Sinter in Windows just tries to store temporary files, and all I need to do is formatting the second partition to become drive D:
Any help in this matter is highly appreciated. I hope there is someone out there who still has the old DOS box.

Regards,
Stefan
Received on Wed Nov 06 2013 - 18:59:16 EET