AI2 software for PLC2 - online communication question

Need some help:
I have a customer with a lot of old machines, most of them PLC2s.
Working just fine, no question to offer replacement yet.
I must make minor changes.
He has AI2 v6.25 offline and online - it works fine on his old 386 laptop, but it is dying.
We put it on another 4 years old P3-500 laptop (winXP) - it works, but communication is extermely slow.
I can't boot it to plain DOS with Win98 floppy because HD is NTFS.

Any ideas?

Antique PCs

Perhaps you could find an old p100 or such (IT closet, thrift store, yard sale...) and use DrDos. I believe you can still find a free version of it on the web. This would provide a fine platform for AI for about $25.
You'd probably have more time in it than actual dollar cost.

I am startled that AI-2 runs at all on an XP system. Are you using a "smart cable" or the 1784-PCMK/PCM2 ?

Another vote from me on getting a successor to your fading x386 to natively run DOS.

The most indesctructible laptops I had in the early Windows era were Toshiba Satellites. See if there's a PC recycler company (like RE-PC) in your area and go shopping with the company milk money.

Thanks everyone.
I already told him start looking for Pentium class PC not faster than 100MHZ.
I can't identfy the adapter he has by the part number:
It is a black box about 4x2x1 with wall transformer power supply attached, one end is 8 in with 9 Pin connector, another is about 15 ft of cable with 15 pin connector. Box said Rockwell Automation or so.
I am selecting ICOM serial cable in comm hardware.

Offline works just fine, online and upload and download works very very very slow if I select Win95 compatability mode. I may have to make a small partition on this HD with FAT32, just to see if I can boot to DOS and start it there.
I remember having AI500 problems while ago in WinXP.

OLD puters

I have stacks of OLD puters sitting in my shop. If the need coms up give me a shout yours for the cost of shipping you pick it slow boat or fast and whatever . I we our group only two of us, keep a little dell brick P166, another about 500meg and our most current machines up and ready, DOS 6.22, Win95, Win98, NT4, and 2000, all registered all USABLE, just for the ODDBALL cases that come up (i.e. PLC2 to PLC5 tranlations) true DOS comms. Being a packrat has paid off numerous times.

okiebob:
Thanks for the offer, I'll talk to the customer next week.
I think where is a small PC shop next door going out of business - may be they have something too.
I feel really stupid now: my old company closed doors year ago and they auctioned alot of oldies for close to nothing.
I should grab a few.

I did not work with PLC2s for many many years and did not think I will do it again.
I am thinking to replace CPUs with PLC5s - I know it could be done.
Can I convert ladder really fast from PLC2 to PLC5?
Ladder is about 300 rungs.

The way to go

The least expensive route would be to buy local, Shipping is more than the cost for one of these old beasts. Look at garage sales, and local retailers, most used a computer for accounting and only upgraded when software packages out grew the hardware, unlike out environment. You could get a decent motherboard and network card for next to nothing and slap in a REAL HDD to handle 4 or so partions. GOOD LUCK, BTW I have a whole trunk full of <200 MB HDD's should the need arise LOL

As far as the PLC2 to PLC5 translation goes IF your ladder is not to screwy it may cost less to re write rather than buy the software from AB and let it handle the details. What is your time worth.

Hello Contr_Conn
Look your PM
Regards
Seppo