Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!crdgw1!ge-dab!peora!joel From: joel@peora.ccur.com (Joel Upchurch) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Microsoft Works with Math Coprocessor Message-ID: <3942@peora.ccur.com> Date: 11 Aug 89 22:13:15 GMT Distribution: na Organization: Concurrent Computer Corp, Orlando FL Lines: 31 I have a friend using Microsoft Works on a CompuAdd 12MHz 0 wait state computer with a 80287 math coprocessor. The spreadsheet works fine at 6 MHz, but when they speed it up to 12MHz the Spreadsheet doesn't divide correctly. For instance, =10/4 will display 10 at 12 MHz and 2.5 at 6 MHz. Other programs that use the math coprocessor don't seem to have a problem. The problem didn't seem to occur before the math coprocessor was added to the system. I couldn't find anything in the Works manual that said if it used the coprocessor or not. Microsoft customer support said that Works uses the coprocessor, but that the COPROCESSOR CODE HADN'T BEEN TESTED. I had the support person repeat that a couple of times, because I didn't believe my ears the first time. I asked if there was any way tell Works to ignore the math coprocessor and she said there wasn't, that the only way to get Works to ignore the coprocessor was to remove the 80287 from the system. What I suspect is happening is that the speed switch on the computer only effects the 286 and not the 287 chip and that Works uses some sort of simple countdown loop to wait for the 287 to finish the calculation. When the 286 is running at 12 MHz and the 287 is doing a divide operation I suspect that the countdown loop completes before the 287 has finished the operation. I don't do much programming on PCs, so I was wondering if this explanation was likely and if anyone else had seen a similar problem. -- Joel Upchurch/Concurrent Computer Corp/2486 Sand Lake Rd/Orlando, FL 32809 joel@peora.ccur.com {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd,ucf-cs}!peora!joel Telephone: (407) 850-1040 Fax: (407) 857-0713