Computer question

[Seraphim]

I have a question for all you computer gurus. At my job, we have an evaporator run by a PLC & a computer with windows 3.1. This garbage crashed, and we've been stuck on how to update it swiftly. The problem is, the old software is nowhere to be found, even the manufacturer can't get it to work. They have informed us we can use winNT 4.0. My question is, will NT work on modern computers (with SATA)? Tracking down even IDE comps seems like a chore nowadays, and all of our industrial vendors have none. I've already tried 3.1 on a new computer, and it's no go.

Thanks!

[Getback]

Uh!! Windows 3.1?!

[Seraphim]

Uh!! Windows 3.1?!

Hehe. Tell me about it. I've buggin managers to upgrade for years, unfortunatly, they are too cheap. These machines are twenty years old. And that's not our oldest machine.

[deSelys]

Maybe you can try to install a virtual machine (like www.virtualbox.org) on a modern PC running Vista XP Linux or whatever.

You set up the virtual machine to have a floppy and a serial interface for the PLC. Then you just have to install good ol' windows 3.11 (or Win NT) and it should work. At least it won't cost you a cent to try it.

[DREDIOCK]

Hehe. Tell me about it. I've buggin managers to upgrade for years, unfortunatly, they are too cheap. These machines are twenty years old. And that's not our oldest machine.

Well,Looks like their gonna have to open the purse strings now. Now doesnt it?

And you can have all the glory of being able to say "I told ya so. But you didnt want to listen"

course if you were me.
You would walk right in arms folded across your chest and do exactly that.
Then point at the other machines and say "And ya see those? You can expect more of the same.  And because they are so old. You can expect it sooner rather then later"

Course your bosses may not like it.
But I was alwaus known for telling my inferior superiors what they needed to hear rather then what they wanted to hear.

Just make sure you do it in front of their bosses.
It'll protect your arse and might get you a promotion 

[Seraphim]

Right Dred. Just as you say, I get to say 'I told you so', everyone who is hourly listens & agrees with me.  Our upper management is who closes their ears and say crap like 'it's not in the budget' or 'it's too much to qualify'. Yep. Now guess what. Now it costs more to fix it.
Nice.
And another machine went down today, which has been obsolete for 10 years.

Thanks for the suggestion deSelys, I'm going to check that out.